The Deputy Minister-Designate for Energy and Green Transition, Richard Gyan-Mensah, has thrown his support behind the use of technology to tackle revenue collection challenges at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, Mr Gyan-Mensah said human interference remains a major problem in ECG’s operations and called for increased use of technology across the power distribution network.
“I strongly support the view that technology should be used to reduce human interference in our processes,” he said. “I believe that once this is done, some of ECG’s challenges can be addressed.”
He added that improving billing systems through technology could help resolve ECG’s financial struggles.
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Mr Gyan-Mensah also acknowledged that Ghana’s electricity tariffs are among the highest in Africa, attributing this partly to the cost of thermal power generation, which makes up a large portion of the country’s energy supply.
“About 60% of electricity tariffs come from generation costs,” he explained. “If we can manage these costs and reduce them, while also working on distribution and revenue losses, it will help lower tariffs.”
On the issue of recent power cuts, Mr Gyan-Mensah noted that they were not new, adding, “This is something we even experienced in December.”
He also pledged to support the Light Up Ghana project and the Universal Street Lighting Programme, both of which are linked to the government’s 24-hour economy initiative.
Speaking on energy conservation, Mr Gyan-Mensah highlighted “demand response” as a way to improve energy security, explaining that educating consumers to reduce electricity use during peak hours could ease pressure on the national grid.
