By Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo
The Upper West Area of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) has started its revenue mobilization exercise to collect 107 Million Ghana Cedis debt from its customers. The debt stock of Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) stands at 82 million Ghana Cedis whilst other customers are owing 25 million Ghana Cedis.
The Upper West Area Manager of NEDCo, Francis Yormesor told Radio Ghana that they have so far realised, one million, 293 thousand, 737 Ghana Cedis, 28 pesewas (GHS1,293,737.28). The exercise which commence on the 18th of this month will last for a month.
Ing Francis Yormesor with the media at the VRA/MEDCo switch yard in Wa
The High Court in Wa, Dr Hilla Limann Technical University and the Wa Nursing Training College were some of the customers that were disconnected at the beginning of the exercise. The debt of the High Court is estimated at 15 thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 15,000.00), with that of Dr. Hilla Liman Technical University pegged at 2.2 million Ghana Cedis (GHS 2,200,000.00) whilst the Wa Nursing Training College is fixed at 26 thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 16,000.00).
Mr Yormesor give an overview of the debt portfolio of the company:”In general, customers owe us about 1.2 billion Ghana Cedis.” “We owe the power generators, that is mainstream VRA, 1.6 billion Ghana Cedis, and the transmitters, which is GRIDCo, we owe them 481 million Ghana Cedis. The Department which is VRA/NEDCo needs 120 million Ghana Cedis to make power available to our customers,” he stated.
He continued that”as we speak, we are able to collect only 85 million Ghana Cedis from our customers monthly and currently we have a deficit of 35 million Ghana Cedis every month”. Mr Yormesor observed that: “if we don’t work on this, it means business will come to a halt.”
The Area Manager reiterated that the exercise is aimed at revenue mobilization and entreated customers to settle their indebtedness to avoid disconnection.
Mr. Yormesor: “We expect our clients to come out with payments. Most of the debts have been over many years, so we are urging all our clients to make available monies that they owe and so that, there won’t be the need for disconnection as indicated, this is a revenue mobilization exercise but not a disconnection exercise.”Apart from the revenue mobilization, the Company is also checking illegal connections.
Statistics indicate that in the Upper West Area, NEDCo is losing about 24% of the energy it supplies to its customers in respect of technical and commercial loses.