The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, has announced that the government is preparing a Legislative Instrument (L.I.) to impose stiffer punishments on individuals involved in electricity theft, including unauthorised installation of metres.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament during a question-and-answer session, the Minister disclosed that although arrests and prosecutions are ongoing, current penalties have failed to serve as a strong enough deterrent.
“Ordinarily, it’s ECG that has the mandate to install metres. We are working on an L.I. to be submitted to Parliament so that those who otherwise own such metres… the penalty and the penal measures will be quite severe to serve as a deterrent,” Mr. Jinapor said.
He revealed that there is already a dedicated court to handle such offences, and government will collaborate with Parliament to tighten the legal framework around power theft.
Mr. Jinapor also expressed concern over attacks on utility workers, citing a recent incident in Tamale involving staff from the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO).
“Let me also use this opportunity to make a passionate and humble appeal to Ghanaians that if we don’t work with these utilities to ensure that we are able to recover the revenues, we’re going to have a major challenge providing power,” he cautioned.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Risa Wyettey Cofie
