Every Accra household has an opinion about ECG. Ghana’s main electricity distributor in the south sends the bills, installs the meters and takes the blame when the lights go off. Its history goes back to 1 April 1947, when the colonial government set up an Electricity Department to supply power to the towns of the Gold Coast.
The Electricity Department
In the late colonial period, electricity was limited to the main towns and to colonial offices, mines and wealthier homes. The Electricity Department ran power stations and distribution networks, and it became the Electricity Division in 1962.
Akosombo changes everything
The opening of the Akosombo Dam in 1966 transformed Ghana’s power supply. Hydroelectricity from the Volta River became the backbone of the grid, supplying industry, cities and, through exports, neighbouring countries. Distribution to homes and businesses in the south remained the job of the electricity utility.
A corporation
In 1967, the National Liberation Council turned the Electricity Division into the Electricity Corporation of Ghana by NLC Decree 125. It was a state corporation responsible for distributing power across much of the country.
A company
In February 1997, the corporation was incorporated as the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited, a limited liability company wholly owned by the government. The north of the country later came under a separate distributor, the Northern Electricity Distribution Company.
Prepaid meters
ECG introduced prepaid meters to reduce unpaid bills and theft. Many Accra residents now buy credit through vending points, mobile money and apps. The change reduced some disputes over estimated bills but created others, especially around meter faults and tariff changes.
The PDS episode
Under a deal linked to the US Millennium Challenge Corporation’s second compact with Ghana, a private company, Power Distribution Services, took over ECG’s operations on 1 March 2019. Within months, the deal was suspended over concerns about the guarantees provided, and the government terminated it in October 2019. ECG returned to state management.
Losses and debts
ECG has long struggled with commercial losses from illegal connections, meter tampering and unpaid bills, including by government institutions. These losses feed into debts across the power sector, which have contributed to power crises such as the dumsor years.
Customer complaints
Common complaints include outages, slow responses to faults, billing errors and poor customer service. ECG has expanded its call centres and digital services in response.
The company that began powering colonial offices in 1947 now serves millions of homes and businesses in southern Ghana. Its customers will judge its next chapter, as they always have, by whether the lights stay on.
