The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has marked its silver jubilee.

Established in October 1997, the Authority has been regulating the provision of electricity and water services across the length and breadth of the country for the past 25 years.

At an anniversary lecture on Monday, Chairman of the PURC Board, Mr. Ebo Quagrainie, underscored the importance of the PURC and highlighted some of its keys successes.

"While we still aspire to a higher level of transparency, there is now a clear framework for engagement, including templates, models, hearings, processes and decision papers.

It is gratifying to see the level of private investment that has been brought into the utility sector since the establishment of PURC.

With specific reference to water, the Commission has ensured adequate levels of funding to support GWCL's technological and commercial innovations, and PURC is currently championing the development of a cohesive framework for water preservation and delivery services in the country", he said.

Touting the achievements of the PURC, he added that, "I am also pleased to mention briefly that the Commission has since 2005, spearheaded 305 pro-poor water projects around the country in partnership with the Ghana Water Company Limited.

These projects are targeted at improving accessibility of water to the unserved in both rural and urban areas, reducing the burden on those who face the greatest deprivation in water supply and who spend a chunk of their household incomes on buying water from secondary and tertiary suppliers".

He further indicated that, "This year, PURC has for the first time restructured the tariff structure to address the burden of cross-subsidies shouldered by industry and to ensure that SMEs now pay lower utility tariffs than households.

This is to empower local businesses to stimulate economic growth and job creation".

The keynote speaker at the lecture and seasoned Ghanaian economist, Mr. Kwame Pianim, also chronicled the trajectory of the PURC with insights on how the Authority has fared since it was first established under the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission Act, 1997 (Act 538).

In his submissions, he stressed on the relevance of the Authority, and the critical role it plays in satisfying the domestic needs of consumers.

According to him, even though the PURC has chalked significant successes in the past, there is the need for the Authority to embrace new innovations to better the delivery of services to consumers.

Speaking at the lecture, the Chairman for the occasion, the Paramount Chief of Asante Asokore, Nana Dr. S.K.B Asante, also stressed the need for the Authority to enhance its output, and extend its impact beyond the shores of Ghana.

As the first board Chairman of the PURC, Dr. Asante stated that the PURC has come a long way in acting as the independent arbiter between utility service providers and the general public, and therefore the need for the Authority to consolidate its gains and work harder to achieve its mandate.

The lecture, which took place at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), on October 24, was interspersed with a panel discussion involving industry icons and experts.

The discussion, which focused on how to make the PURC more resilient was moderated by an engineer, Mrs. Harriette Amissah-Arthur.

The discussants for the session included; Mr. Kwadwo Nsafoah Poku, Mr. Kweku A. Awotwi, Ing. William Amuna, Ing. Matthew Adombire and Ing. Bertha Darteh .

The panel expressed diverse opinions on the way forward for the PURC and how the Authority can enhance its operations and output.

Anniversary Dinner

The anniversary lecturer was crowned with a dinner which saw staff of the Authority jelling with other invited guests at the Accra International Conference Centre.

Spiced with fine blends of music, the dinner gave attendants an opportunity to interact with one another, amidst eating and drinking.

The PURC Choir also took to the stage to serve attendees with danceable highlife tunes and melodies.

Some of the excited members of staff also took to the dancing floor to express their dancing skills in a cheerful aura of heart laughter and fun-filled conversations.

At the close of the event, the Executive Secretary of the PURC, Dr. Ishmael Ackah, thanked participants and expressed his appreciation to all past and present members of staff who have contributed in diverse ways to ensure the successes of the Authority.

The Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare was represented by an aide from her office.