The Executive Director of the Institute of Energy Security, Nana Amoasi VII, has acknowledged that Ghana is experiencing a financial crunch in its utility sector.

He stated that until the country can efficiently collect revenues, it will continue to struggle to meet the demands of various utilities, whether state enterprises or Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

Speaking on JoyNews’ Top Story on Thursday, May 16, Mr Amoasi said that the country must invest particularly in the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), where significant leakages exist, and ensure it has the right tariffs and collection system which is robust and supported by technology.

He added that Ghana must reach a point where it can easily identify theft and collect revenues promptly.

He explained that despite having pre-payment systems, there are still customers who use post-paid systems, which he identified as a major issue.

“Most of these customers may be found within the government structure or entities. If we’re able to do all this and ensure that each person is paying the right tariff, and paying on time or the ECG is collecting on time, and distributing equitably and transparently to all the sector players, every aspect within this value chain—be it the transmitter or the power producer or distributor or fuel supplier—will be financed enough to address their challenges in the sector," he explained.

Mr Amoasi VII noted that if the Volta River Authority could work more effectively with its export partners, ensuring pre-payment or pre-financing for some of the fuels needed to generate more power, it would significantly benefit the sector.