The Auditor-General (A-G) states that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) breached the law with their meter procurement.

The A-G's report indicated that the company contravened the Public Procurement Act in the expenditure, which amounted to over $145 million.

The report also noted that ECG failed to recover a surplus of GH53.9 million identified through monitoring efforts and did not pursue legal action against customers engaged in electricity theft, missing a chance to discourage such activities.

The audit carried out between August and December 2022, covered the period from 2016 to 2021 and included examinations at various ECG locations, such as the headquarters, the Metering and Technical Services (MTS) Division, the Materials and Depot in the Greater Accra Region, along with four selected regional and nine district offices.

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“ECG signed 50 contracts to procure 862,750 meters and its accessories amounting to USD145,010,153.92 over the audit period without adhering to the requirement of the Public Procurement Act.”

“During our audit period, ECH was unable to recover all the GHC 53,988,463.31 that it detected through monitoring, and failed to prosecute customers who were engaged in power theft to serve as a deterrent to others,” the report stated.

In a letter to the Speaker dated June 2, 2023, Auditor-General Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu advised that the ECG should ensure all procurement activities adhere to the Public Procurement Act.