Features
ECG is not a ‘father Christmas’ or charitable institution!
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Electricity is one of the major determinants of economic prosperity of any country in the world. It plays a significant role in undertaking daily activities from cooking, lighting, heating to powering machines in the industrial sector. This facility is essential also for quality healthcare delivery, education, transport, effective communication, mineral exploration and many more. In effect, it serves as a building block on which every sector of a nation’s economy thrives. This in essence, emphasises how crucial and indispensable electricity has been in the existence of human in the 21st century.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Limited, like other essential service providers in our dear nation, is a very important institution as far as the developmental goal of this country is concerned. Without electric power, everything in this country will grind to a halt and it will affect the general cost of living and well- being of people nationwide. The same applies to water which is the twin brother of electricity. Even to pump water to various homes and public institutions, much will depend on electricity to power the generating machines. The importance of these two essential facilities therefore,cannot be overestimated in the country’s development.
ECG AND ITS MANDATED DUTIES
The ECG by law, is mandated to provide quality, reliable and safe electricity services to support socio-economic growth and development of Ghana. The company has over the years, been able to carry out this laudable mission notwithstanding the occasional challenges it encounters in the execution of its duties.
It is a limited liability company wholly owned by the government and operates under the Ministry of Energy. The company is responsible for the distribution of electric power in the southern part of Ghana, namely, Ashanti, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Volta and Western regions. The company has over the years grown and transformed into a more effective distributor largely as a result of foreign technical and financial assistance which has enabled it to invest in various areas to improve the quality of the network. It has focused on building many distribution lines and installation of prepaid metering services both domestically and to various institutions across the country. This company has stood the test of time and on the verge of focusing on becoming a regional power trader to grow itself.
CHALLENGES ECG FACES
Although the company is confronted with major challenges such as high level of distribution losses, lack of revenue due to non-payment of bills, poor tariff structure which makes it difficult for the power utilities to make significant investments to improve the sector due to financial constraints, it has to a very large extent live up to high level of expectation.
Currently, there are quite a sizeable number of public institutions that are indebted to the company of millions of Ghana Cedis, thus depriving it of the needed revenue to meet its operational expenses in terms of modern generating equipment and other logistics as well as providing adequate remunerations and service conditions for the workers. On the list of the debtors are, the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES), Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation as well as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). We are informed by news circulating on social media that the Finance Ministry owes the company to the tune of GH¢421,038.02, the National Stadium, GH¢587,087.37, La Palm Beach Hotel, GH¢196,073.62 and the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), GH¢48,985,505.41. We are told also that recently, the National Taskforce of the ECG Limited, cut power supply to parts of the Kotoka International Airport and the other places as a result of their outstanding debts to the ECG.
UNSCRUPULOUS ECG WORKERS MILKING THE COMPANY
It is, indeed, shameful and regretful that the top management of ECG have relaxed and kept aloof while some state owned and profit making enterprises continue to exploit them to their advantage in huge arrears in electricity bills. Such an unfortunate situation is a total indictment on the leadership of the company and a mark of inefficiency.
It is also a known fact and in the public domain that some unscrupulous workers of the company have turned themselves into contractors and engaging themselves in illegal businesses such as the sale of meters at high prices to prospective applicants and also involved in illegal connections of electricity to interested people, thus depriving the company of the needed revenue. Some of these fraudsters. engage in such illegal businesses with the connivance of some top-level management personnel of the company. Such illegal, unhealthy and fraudulent practices must be checked to enable the company to stand on its feet.
RECENT DEMONSTRATION BY ECG WORKERS
No wonder, there was a recent demonstration by some aggrieved workers of the Accra East branch of the ECG in protest of the continued stay in office of the managing director of the company even though he had attained the retiring age of 60. Clad in red, the workers picketed at the company’s head office in Accra to register their protest and also to demand the removal of Mr. Kwame Agyeman-Budu, the MD from office.
The protesters, led by the divisional leadership under the Trades Union Congress (TUC), noted that the presence of the MD was an illegal invasion of the company’s property, adding that he had to proceed on leave prior to retirement because he had clocked 60 years. They wondered why he was still holding himself as the MD and signing official documents. The aggrieved workers argued that he attained 60 years on February 21, 2021.
ACCUSATION AGAINST THE MD
In a statement, the workers accused the MD of not handling the affairs of the company well since he was appointed. They claimed that his continued stay in office, would collapse the electricity distribution company because to them “he is grossly deficient when it comes to matters relating to administrative and corporate governance”. They further accused him of breaching procurement processes. “A clear example is the award of contract of six substations where the recommendations of the evaluation committee were side-stepped and awarded to other companies,” they alleged in their statement.
It appears that the workers are not comfortable with the continued stay in office of their MD and the appointing authorities need to step in to resolve this thorny issue before they throw this country into total darkness. Their grievances need be studied critically and weighed against the performance of the MD before any extension of his contract is considered.
INVESTIGATION OF WORKERS’ GRIEVANCES
In the midst of huge unpaid debts by some state institutions to ECG while the company needs money to finance its operational costs, one will be convinced to jump to a conclusion that the managing director is either not up to the task or being manipulated from certain quarters not to chase the debtors for what is due the company.
One particular case that most Ghanaians are not happy and uncomfortable with is the case of the Ghana Airports Company Limited which owes the ECG a colossal sum of GH¢48,985,505.41 which necessitated the recent curtailing of power in parts of the Kotoka International Airports in Accra. They wondered why the company had to spend about GH¢128,366 to buy Christmas trees to decorate the airport terminals in the midst of the debt it owes the ECG.
EFFECTIVE PAYMENT OF BILLS NECESSARY
It is a fact that the ECG and other utility service providers in the country rely on the effective payment of bills to provide reliable and continuous services to their clients and customers and, therefore, failure in the payment of bills renders the company impotent in providing that essential services to customers. That will result in frequent power cuts which will be no fault of the ECG. It is important for state owned and private institutions as well as domestic power users to pay their bills promptly to enable the company to serve them better. Let us take note that ECG is not a charitable institution which provides its services free of charge.
Finally, to restore the needed peace and tranquility within the premises of the ECG, the appointing authorities must act with dispatch to resolve the impasse between the workers and the managing director before any unfortunate incident happens.
Contact email/WhatsApp of author:
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By Charles Neequaye
Features
Confronting newborn abandonment in Ghana: When a cry for help is heard in a dustbin – Part 2
The root causes: It is never just one reason
My years of counselling at CPAC show me abandonment is rarely an act of malice. It is the tragic endpoint of seven overwhelming distresses:
1. Severe maternal mental illness —The hidden emergency
a) Clinical Postpartum Depression (PPD): This is far beyond “baby blues.” It is a severe mood disorder that can appear weeks to months after birth. Due to a massive drop in hormones, extreme sleep deprivation, and emotional exhaustion, the mother feels deep sadness, worthlessness, and complete emotional numbness towards her baby. Picture: A new mother sits by her bed all day, staring blankly. Her baby cries for hours, but she cannot lift her hands to carry the baby. She whispers, “This baby would be better off without me.” She does not hate the baby; she feels she has completely failed as a mother.
b) Peripartum Psychosis (Postpartum Psychosis): This is a psychiatric emergency. Rare but extremely dangerous, appearing suddenly within the first 2-3 weeks after delivery. The mother completely loses touch with reality. She hears commanding voices telling her to abandon the baby, or believes the baby is possessed by an evil spirit or is a “spirit child” who will bring a curse. Picture: A mother genuinely believes she heard a voice saying, “Leave this child at the crossroads at midnight or your family will die.” She abandons the baby not out of hatred, but because her broken mind believes she is obeying a higher spiritual order to save her family.
c) Pre-existing untreated Schizophrenia: This is a chronic, severe mental disorder that existed before the pregnancy. The stress of pregnancy and labour shatters her fragile coping. She suffers from paranoid delusions — believing people want to poison her and the baby — flat affect (zero facial expression), and grossly disorganised thinking, making it impossible to plan how to feed or clean a baby. Picture: A young woman whose family called her illness “spiritual attack” instead of taking her for medication wanders away after delivery, completely forgetting she even gave birth, leaving the infant behind.
2. Extreme socio-economic deprivation: For many girls in some parts of Ghana such as Kasoa, Madina, or Bekwai, poverty is not a statistic; it is a daily panic. No money for antenatal care, no money for hospital delivery, no money for baby diapers or formula. When a mother cannot feed herself, the thought of feeding another mouth feels impossible. Some mothers say, “I left her where someone richer would find her, because I could not watch her starve to death in my hands.” It is a distorted act of survival.
3. Intense societal stigma and shame: In Ghana, pregnancy outside marriage, teenage pregnancy, or pregnancy from rape can bring extreme family rejection. The girl is called “spoilt,” beaten, banned from church, or sacked from school. The fear of bringing shame to the family name is heavier than the fear of police. So she hides the pregnancy for 9 months, delivers alone, and abandons in secret to protect her family’s “honour.”
4. Paternal abandonment — The Man Who Ran Away: Behind almost every abandoned baby is a man who vanished. He says, “It is not mine,” or “Abort it,” and switches off his phone. The mother is left utterly isolated — no emotional, financial, or social support. She is criminalised alone, but the abandonment started with him. Psychological research shows paternal denial is one of the strongest predictors of maternal panic and newborn abandonment.
5. Substance abuse disorders: Alcohol, tramadol, and other drug addiction impair the brain’s executive functioning — the ability to plan, judge consequences, and process emotions. A mother struggling with addiction may give birth in a highly intoxicated or withdrawal state, unable to comprehend the needs of the newborn, leading to neglect and eventual abandonment.
6. The spirit child cultural phenomenon and superstition: In some remote pockets of Northern Ghana and even in few parts of Central and Ashanti regions, public health research shows babies born with congenital deformities, severe disabilities, or whose mothers die in childbirth are branded as “spirit children” or cursed. In extreme instances, families, under cultural pressure, mandate that such babies be exposed or abandoned at shrines or bushes. This is not mental illness, but a harmful cultural belief system that still kills.
The invisible wounds
On the baby: Risk of death from hypothermia, sepsis, and infection. Survivors suffer Anaclitic Depression and Failure to Thrive due to lack of touch. As adults, they battle Reactive Attachment Disorder, chronic mistrust, and identity crisis — “Why did my mother leave me in a dustbin?”
On the mother: Lifelong hidden grief, intense guilt, chronic PTSD, depression, and elevated suicide risk. A prison cell does not heal this.
On the nation: Overburdened orphanages like Osu Children’s Home, draining health budgets, and overworked Social Welfare officers.
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“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; no one seeks God. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe. For there is no difference; – Rom. 3:10, 21-22. (NIV)
Introduction
Dictionaries define righteousness as “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.” Such behavior is characterized by accepted standards of morality, justice, virtue, or uprightness. The Bible’s standard of human righteousness is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behavior, and every word. Thus, God’s laws, as given in the Bible, both describe His own character and constitute the plumb line by which He measures human righteousness.
The bad news is that true and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his own; the standard is simply too high. The good news is that true righteousness is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have no ability to achieve righteousness in and of ourselves. But Christians possess the righteousness of Christ, because “ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21. This is an amazing truth. On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of the Lord Jesus.
Establishing our hearts in righteousness
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” – Proverbs 4:23
According to the above verse in Proverbs, our heart is the source of our life. Our life flows from our heart. The Holy Spirit resides in the spirit of the born again Christian. So there is a strong influence of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the new-born Christian. But our heart is also comprised of our soul. As Christians we can choose to focus our soul on the Lord, or on evil things. If we focus on corrupt, immoral, and evil things our heart will be affected detrimentally. It will cause our heart to be crooked or wicked, instead of straight or righteous. So the Scripture says to keep, or guard, our heart. It is wise to protect our heart as what we allow to dominate our heart will inevitably become the fruit, or influence the outcome, of our lives.
One way to approach life is to continually ask the question, “How will this decision or action affect my heart?” Everything we do, every thought we entertain, everything we watch, read, or listen to, shapes our heart. Therefore, the future prosperity of our life will flow from how well we care for our heart.
Think of everything you do, every moment of time, as a seed. We have been given responsibility for choosing which seeds to plant in our heart. What will you grow in the garden of your heart? What seeds will you choose? Our heart is our garden, and our life is the fruit of our garden. So next time you are tempted to dwell on a bad thought, think, “Do I want this seed to grow and manifest in my life?” Next time you are tempted to indulge in a sinful action ask yourself, “Do I want the extension, or fruit, of this sinful action to be what I am known for?”
God gives us the freedom to plant whatever we like in our garden. God loves us regardless of the good or bad choices we may make in our lives. You may be reaping the fruit of some poor choices right now. And God is still saying, “I love you.” But He has wise advice for us; He desires we have a good life. He says, “Guard you heart with all diligence.” This Hebrew word translated ‘diligence’ conveys the meanings of: prison and guard (ibid). A superintendant of a prison is very particular as to what goes in and out of his prison. A prison has very tight security. Just as a superintendant watches over his prison, so we should also supervise our heart (our lives). We should exercise meticulous security with regards to what enters into our heart. Actually, even what comes out of it, as the Scripture says, “ Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” – James 1:19, as “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” –Matthew 12:34b.
If what goes into, and what comes out of, our heart determines the success of our lives, what is the first important principle to establish in our heart? “In righteousness you shall be established;” – Isaiah 54:14
Righteousness is the key foundational truth we need to first establish in our heart. Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” –Matthew 6:33. Notice Jesus said, “His righteousness”, not our own righteousness. We have to seek and understand God’s righteousness. Isaiah 54:14 says, “Their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” God’s righteousness comes from God, not from within us. Humans cannot make themselves God’s righteousness, as all humans have sinned and are therefore inferior to God. God’s righteousness is a gift from God: “ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21
Righteousness, or right standing with God, has been attained for us through the exchange Jesus made on our behalf. Jesus took our sin and gave us His righteousness. God’s righteousness is imparted to us when we are made a new creature in Christ – 2 Corinthians 5:17. This righteousness is a gift from God and undeserved by us: “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”- Romans 5:17
Through our faith in Jesus’ blood, shed to remit our sins – Romans 3:25, God imparts righteousness to us by His grace. We actually become a new righteous creation, fully identifying in Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection and ascension. This is the foundational miracle we need to understand and have established in our heart. All the other miraculous promises of God come the same way, by God’s grace through faith. Righteousness must be established in our heart for us to truly have faith to receive our rich inheritance in Christ. Jesus has been made unto us righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). We are now “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us”. – 2 Corinthians 1:20
Establishing our minds in righteousness
God expects that, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will be radically changed. In Romans 12:2 He tells us, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
This transformation is to be a metamorphosis, of a magnitude at least comparable to that by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. He expects us to become totally different.
Scripture uses many different images to express the change that should occur: We become “a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.“ – 2 Cor 5:17. It is almost as if we become a new species. Scripture speaks of the “first Adam” who was earthly and fell into sin, and the “second Adam” (Jesus Christ) who was sinless and holy – Rom. 5:12-19; 1 Cor 15:44-49.
We are “made new in the attitude of our minds” – Eph. 4:23.
We “put off our old self” and “put on the new self” – Eph. 4:22,24; Col 3:9-10.
We “live by the Spirit” and not by the flesh – Gal. 5:16; Rom 8:13.
We become “instruments of righteousness” rather than “instruments of wickedness” – Rom. 6:13.
Each of these metaphors, in a different way, emphasizes the magnitude of the change that is expected. Each is dramatic and astonishing in itself; their cumulative effect is even more powerful. We are talking about a tremendous transformation. It should be visible to others, but its internal effect should be far greater than what others can perceive.
The goal of this transformation
What is the goal of this metamorphosis? Scripture states it in a number of different ways, which overlap and can be seen as different ways of expressing the same basic concept. Scripture often does this, because our minds are inadequate to comprehend, and our language inadequate to express, the full scope of God’s revelation to us.
To be continued!
Stay blessed!
For further inquiries please contact us on Tel Nos. 0243588467 or 0268130615
Email: saltnlightministries@gmail.com
Website: saltandlightministriesgh.org
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