The Volta Regional Directorate of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Akatsi District have jointly engaged residents of Avadre on Electricity use.

The community was recently connected to the national electricity grid under the Self-Help Electrification Programme (SHEP).

The community outreach was facilitated by the Assemblyman for the area, Mr. Prosper Agbeli, and brought together representatives from PURC, the ECG District Manager, and community members.

The engagement focused on educating the residents about responsible electricity usage and their rights and obligations as consumers.

In his address, the ECG Akatsi District Manager Mr. Samuel Diasempa emphasised the importance of using electricity safely and efficiently.

He urged residents to avoid illegal connections, protect ECG’s installations and infrastructure, and report any faults or suspicious activities to the appropriate authorities.

Residents were also advised to pay their electricity bills on time to avoid service interruptions.

The ECG team explained recent developments regarding the capture and registration of customer meters in the area, following Avadre’s recent inclusion in the national grid.

This, they noted, is part of ECG’s efforts to ensure accurate billing and improve service delivery.

They provided information on how to lodge complaints, seek redress, and understand tariff structures and consumer rights.

Emmanuel Agbesi Foli, Volta/Oti Public Relations Officer (PRO) of PURC Volta Oti the took the opportunity to explain the Commission’s functions including receiving and investigating complaints, settling disputes between consumers and utility service providers, and protecting the rights of consumers and utility providers.

He educated the group about the rights and responsibilities of consumers, protection of ECG networks and installations, using services acquired legally and the timely payment of bills to avoid disconnection.

“We are appealing to the facilitators and beneficiaries of such projects to inform or get ECG involved during the project so they can capture customer meters early enough to ensure they receive their bills on time. Else, the longer it delays, the more customers’ bills accumulate.”

Participants expressed appreciation for the initiative, describing it as timely and informative and raised concerns regarding meter placement, billing clarity, and service reliability, which the ECG team addressed during the interactive session.

Mr Agbeli, on behalf of the community and himself, the town planning Development committee and traditional authority thanked the PURC and ECG for the wonderful work done saying “Indeed the education was very successful and impactful to us and called for frequent engagements.”

This outreach forms part of a broader initiative by PURC and ECG to strengthen public awareness, foster trust between utility providers and communities, and promote sustainable energy use in newly electrified areas across the Volta Region.