The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has opened an office in Techiman, the capital of the Bono East Region to ensure high quality of service delivery and protect the interest of stakeholders.

The office, which is the first to be opened by the Commission after the creation of the six new regions has been in operation since March 1, 2024 and becomes the eleventh Regional Office of the Commission as part of efforts to decentralise its operations.

The office has carried out several activities including complaint management, public education and visits to announce its presence, create awareness and increase visibility. Some of these activities included street walks, leaflets distribution, education for associations and groups and mass media education.

The office has received a total of one hundred and twelve (112) complaints ranging from; over billing, delayed service connections, power outages, no flow of water, coloured water, rotten poles, faulty meters, illegal connections, non-payment of bills among others against providers in the region.

Out of the total number, one hundred and three (103) have been satisfactorily resolved with 9 of them pending.

An amount of GHC2,710.00 has been paid as an adjustment in favour of two customers through the efforts of the office.

The office is also facilitating the recovery of a whooping GHC2,954,040.00 owed the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) Techiman Area Office by some of its customers in the region.

During his 2-day working visit to the region, the Director of Regional Operations and Consumer Services (ROCS) of the PUCR, Alhaji Jabaru Abukari, underscored the need to bring utility regulation to the door steps of consumers, asserting that will always ensure high quality of service delivery.

The Director held meetings and engagements with the Utility Service Providers, thus, the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) and the Ghana Water Limited (GWL) and officially informed them about the existence of the office in the region and asked for their cooperation in serving the good people of the Bono East Region.

Also, speaking on the Techiman-based Bonokyempem Radio, he called on the public to ensure harmonious working relationship with the Regional Office, urging them to always seek clarifications on utility issues.

He added that consumers should always report any difficulty and challenges they face in their quest to have safe, adequate, reliable, reasonable and non-discriminatory supply to the regulator.

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) was established in October 1997 under the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission Act, 1997 (Act 538) as a multi-sector regulator to regulate the provision of electricity and water utility services.

The establishment of the Commission was part of the government of Ghana’s utility sector reform process.

By virtue of the Energy Commission Act, 1997 (Act 541) PURC also regulates transportation of natural gas services. Under Section 4 of Act 538, PURC is an independent body and is not subject to the control of any authority in the performance of its functions.