The Minister of Energy, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, has inaugurated a Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) Revenue Protection Taskforce to help recover locked-up funds of the company.

The nine member team has been given the mandate to drive its revenue mobilization exercise.

The Northern Region alone accounts for 48 percent loss in revenue to NEDCo through power theft.

NEDCo in recent times has complained of the crippling of its operations because of these losses.

Speaking at the inauguration at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi, the Minister charged the taskforce to build good relations with the people in the discharge of their duties.

He also urged the people of the region to desist from illegal connections to help sustain the activities of the power company. This he said would ensure stable power supply for the area.

“I plead with Ndaan Yaa Naa to give the taskforce his blessings so that they can fully operate to the needed result. I also plead with the Yaa Naa to tell his people to pay for at least what they have used so that NEDCo will continue to provide them with stable power,” he said.

The Northern Regional Manager of the NEDCo, Osmani Ayuba, said the sustainability of NEDCo is being threatened due to power theft in the region.

He said the power theft situation in Tamale if not addressed immediately can cause a total collapse of NEDCo in the foreseeable future.

“Our loses in Northern region in general and Tamale in particular causes an existential threat to NEDCo. All our loses in the Northern area covers around 45 percent and the case in Tamale is around 48 percent then if you go to other areas like Techiman and Sunyani, they do around 17 percent whiles Wa is 11 percent,” he said

He said if NEDCo continues to operate at this level they will not be able to sustain their operation.

The Overlord of Dagbon Ndaan Yaa Naa Abukari II in a speech read on his behalf called on the youth and the people of Dagbon to desist from attacking NEDCo staff when they have issues with the company.

He also admonished them to stop the illegal power connections.

“These acts do not only deny government from generating enough revenue to continue with the provision of power to our communities, it is also a recipe for fire out-breaks and electrocution which cost us much more,” he said.  

Yaa Naa appealed to the Ministry of Energy to consider connecting power to about 114 communities in Yendi Municipality that are without power.

The Minister also commissioned electricity at Kunshiegu at a short ceremony.

In a speech the Member of Parliament for Yendi, Alhaji Faruk Ali Mahama said four communities in the Yendi Municipality were being connected to the national grid.

He said this will bring a sigh of relief to the people because it will help improve their economic activities, security and other domestic needs. 

He said he would continue to work to ensure that more communities in the area are connected to the grid. 

Alhaji Farouk added that over 18 communities have already been connected to the national grid.