Editorial
ECG PowerApp: A mixed bag of technical issues, uncredited payment concerns
Dear Editor,
On February 18, 2020, the former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, launched the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) PowerApp, a mobile application designed in-house by staff of ECG.
It was to improve its service delivery to its customers.
The development of the app also meant that customers of ECG would now have the opportunity to purchase power and pay bills using their mobile phones.
That means customers of ECG would no longer have to join long queues to purchase power, but could now do that at their own convenience and in the comfort of their homes.
According to the Communication Officer, the PowerApp has increased annual revenue growth for the company.
He said as of April 2024, the new application system had increased its annual revenue growth by 128 per cent as compared to the old system at negative seven per cent.
Despite these reasons for which the app was developed and the benefits it has brought to ECG, there have been growing concerns among a section of the public on its use.
Some have argued that they were not credited after using the app to recharge their prepaid meter while the money was deducted from their MoMo accounts.
Such experience has made some customers vow not use the app to recharge their prepaid meters but rather go to prepaid vendors nearby to purchase credit. Some are even prepared to travel to far places to purchase prepaid credits.
I think such experience does not speak well of ECG because it could affect public trust in the company in its service delivery. This is the more reason why the ECG has to take the concerns raised by its customers seriously.
Kofi Bruce,
Mampong
Dear Editor,
I want to use your respected platform to commend the police administration for the swoops that resulted in the arrest of members of some gangs that operates in Accra and other parts of the country.
These are notorious criminals that are always hell-bent to make life difficult for people.
Within two weeks into the New Year, the police has already busted several gang members with dangerous weapons in their possession.
It started in Accra with the arrest of 16 suspected individuals who were involved in various criminal cases including daylight thefts, phone snatching, residential robberies, impersonation and many others.
Following that was the seizure of suspected substances believed to be Indian Hemp in the North Tongu District of the Volta region.
Again, the Greater Accra and Eastern Regional Commands also collaborated well to smash a highway robbery syndicate with seven of the members arrested.
The last I can recount for the first month of the year was the interception of 1,613 parcels of suspected narcotics drugs by the Tema Police Command.
All of these goes to speak about the good work the police is doing to make life comfortable and violence –free for Ghanaians.
Without this commitment from the force, a lot of these activities would not have happened. They did all of these at the peril of their lives.
It is my hope that those arrested would be prosecuted and be made to face the full rigours of the law.
Nana Yaw Amankwaa,
Ofankor
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Due to Ghana’s acute housing crisis, a sizable section of the population cannot afford formal, adequate housing.
For instance, in Accra, where more than half of the population lives in urban areas, rental costs are exorbitant, with one-bedroom apartments typically costing GH₵4,000 a month.
These high costs make decent housing unaffordable for low-to-middle income earners forcing many to rely on sub-standard, overcrowded, or informal settlements, and a reliance on advance rent payments, often 1 – 2 years, despite legal limits.
These crises affect those in both rural and urban areas as they face shortages in basic amenities like water, electricity, and proper sanitation.
It is therefore a refreshing news that the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project which has remained stalled for several years, will bounce back soon. This was announced by the Minister of Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, at the Presidency on Wednesday in Accra when he took his turn at the Government Accountability Series.
The Saglemi Affordable Housing Project is a US$200 million public housing project located in Prampram in the Ningo Prampram District in the Greater Accra Region, which was initiated by the John Mahama Administration in 2012 to build 5,000 housing units, to ease accommodation deficit in Ghana, particularly within the Greater Accra Region.
The Minister revealed that his outfit has chosen a developer to finish the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project, and he assured that the ministry has intensified and concluded its engagement with the developer and is awaiting guidance from the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice regarding the start of work on the project that has stalled.
The Spectator is of the hope that as promised by the Minister the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project and others would be completed soon after documents are finalised to ease the pressure of housing problems on Ghanaians.
We hope that the State Housing Company Limited will continue its work on key projects such as the Surge Homes development at Amrahia and the SHC Gardens projects which are at 68 and 70 percent complete respectively.
It is also worth noting that besides the above projects the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) is spreading its tentacles to other regions with its first out-of-Accra project in Ho and other regions set to be explored.
The authorities should be mindful of the distribution process to the Ghanaian workers to ensure fair treatment to all, especially the average Ghanaian who wants to make an effort to own a house.
We strongly believe that the completion of these projects will meet the housing needs of the average working Ghanaians and positively impact their lives.
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