The Upper West Regional Office of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has resolved 548 out of 563 complaints received from utility consumers within the first half of 2026.

That represents 97.34 per cent of the total complaints concerning electricity and water services the Commission received within the period under review, from January 2026 to June 2026.

A statement signed by Mr Ali Abdul Wadud, Upper West Regional Manager of the PURC, to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa said the remaining 15 complaints, representing 2.66 per cent, were at various stages of investigation and resolution.

“Most of these outstanding cases are related to billing issues, which require detailed verification, reconciliation, and adjustments before they can be conclusively resolved,” the statement said.

The statement indicated that 522 of the complaints, representing 92.72 per cent, were lodged against the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), while 38 complaints, representing 6.75 per cent, were against Ghana Water Limited (GWL).

Also, while consumers lodged 560 complaints against the utility providers, three complaints, representing 0.5 per cent, were lodged by utility service providers against consumers.

Also, quality of service issues constituted the largest category of complaints, accounting for 489 cases, out of which 455 were against NEDCo and 34 against GWL.

The complaints included power outages, voltage fluctuations, transformer overload, intermittent power supply, phase-off and broken poles, as well as burst pipes and no-flow situations.

Billing-related complaints constituted the second-largest category, which constituted 33 cases, out of which NEDCo accounted for 30 complaints, while GWL accounted for three.

The statement observed that the concerns involved electricity and water bills, delayed bill adjustments, and billing discrepancies.

Consumer service delivery complaints accounted for 17 cases, all of which were lodged against NEDCo.

The statement said the PURC also recorded 10 metering-related complaints, seven payment-related complaints, and three unlawful disconnection cases.

The Commission said the number of complaints against NEDCo highlighted the high electricity-related service concerns in the region.

It, therefore, underscored the need for continued engagement with NEDCo to improve service reliability and consumer satisfaction.

The statement said within the period under review, the PURC undertook regulatory, consumer protection and stakeholder engagement activities aimed at promoting the delivery of safe, reliable, and efficient utility service within its operational area.

It said the PURC received, investigated, and collaborated with regulated utility service providers to facilitate the timely resolution of complaints.

This it noted had contributed to improving consumer confidence in the PURC’s complaints about management and resolution procedures and strengthened accountability among regulated utility providers.

“The increase in complaints this year reflects the impact of intensified public education and consumer engagement initiatives, which have empowered more consumers to report utility service challenges and seek redress through established complaint resolution mechanisms,” the statement said.

The PURC expressed commitment to continue to strengthen consumer protection measures and collaborate with utility providers to address challenges and enhance service delivery in the region.