ECG targets the elderly, traders with digital inclusion drive

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has embarked on a digital inclusion drive aimed at equipping elderly market women and petty traders with the skills needed to access their electricity bills and other services through the ECG PowerApp.

The initiative, which took place at the Dunkwa market, forms part of the company’s efforts to deepen digital literacy among customers in the informal sector, while promoting greater transparency and convenience in electricity service delivery.

During the exercise, ECG officials assisted traders in downloading, registering, and using the PowerApp to retrieve their monthly bills and monitor their electricity accounts.

The District Manager in Dunkwa, Mr Isaac Ashitey Tetteh, said the programme was designed to empower customers, particularly the elderly and market to independently access information relating to their electricity consumption and billing.

He explained that many market women and petty traders often relied on relatives, landlords or other third parties for information on their electricity bills, a situation which sometimes resulted in misunderstandings and disputes.

“By teaching customers how to access their bills directly through the ECG PowerApp, we are giving them greater control over their electricity accounts and helping them make informed decisions,” he said.

Mr Tetteh expressed satisfaction with the response from participants, many of whom successfully retrieved their bills using the application for the first time.

One of the beneficiaries, Madam Adwoa Ataa Owusu, a trader at the Dunkwa market, described the initiative as useful and timely.

She said the training had enabled her to check her electricity bill without depending on other people.

“Now I can see my bill myself and know exactly what I have been charged. This gives me confidence and peace of mind,” she said.

The Ashanti South Regional General Manager of the ECG, Ing. Jonathan Kofi Adjabeng, said the company was committed to ensuring that the benefits of digital technology reached all categories of its customers, including those in the informal sector.

He said although digital platforms were increasingly becoming the preferred means of accessing services, many elderly customers had not been allowed to acquire the necessary skills to use them.

“Our market women and petty traders constitute an important segment of our customer base. It is therefore important that they are not left behind in the digital transformation of utility services,” he said.

Ing. Adjabeng said the positive outcome of the Dunkwa exercise had encouraged the company to replicate the programme in the five remaining districts within the Ashanti South Region.

He expressed the hope that the initiative would enhance customer engagement, improve access to information and contribute to more efficient delivery service.

The programme forms part of ECG’s broader customer education strategy aimed at promoting the use of digital platforms and improving the overall customer experience.

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