ECG Staff Threaten Demonstration Against Ashanti Regional Minister Over Arrest of General Manager

The staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Ashanti Region are demanding an apology from the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, over the arrest of their General Manager, Michael Wiafe. Wiafe was arrested for disconnecting power at the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) due to an outstanding debt of GH¢1.2 million.

The dispute arose when KsTU was disconnected from the national grid due to the alleged debt. The Regional Minister had reportedly instructed the ECG boss to notify him before executing any disconnections in public universities, which was not done in the case of KsTU. Minister Osei-Mensah subsequently filed a complaint which led to the detention of the General Manager.

Why this matters: The incident highlights tensions between government officials and utility providers over the management of outstanding debts and disconnections. It also raises questions about the autonomy of state-owned enterprises like ECG in carrying out their operations and revenue collection responsibilities.

In response, the ECG staff, through the Senior and the Junior Staff Unions, have issued a statement rejecting the minister's authority over their operations. They emphasized that "ECG does not report to him nor does it take instructions from him on any of its activities, including revenue mobilization and collection."

The staff have given the minister a deadline of April 23, 2024, to apologize to the General Manager and withdraw the case from the police. They have warned that if their demands are not met, the entire ECG Ashanti Region will "HOIST RED FLAGS" and hold a demonstration on April 24, 2024.

The ECG staff have also urged corporate institutions and state institutions, departments, and agencies within the Ashanti region to pay their electricity bills promptly. They noted that the cost of producing power is expensive and failure to pay the bills will mean failure to get money to buy gas and crude oil to power the thermal plants.

The Ashanti regional Senior and Junior Staff Unions of ECG have denounced the regional minister's actions in ordering the arrest of their General Manager over the disconnection at KsTU. They are demanding an unqualified apology and withdrawal of the case from the police by April 23. If their demands are not met, the ECG staff have threatened to stage a demonstration and hoist red flags across the Ashanti Region on April 24.

Key Takeaways

• ECG staff demand apology from Ashanti Regional Minister over GM's arrest for disconnecting KsTU
• Minister had instructed ECG to notify him before disconnecting public universities, which was not done
• ECG staff reject minister's authority over their operations, say they don't take instructions from him
• ECG staff threaten demo on April 24 if minister doesn't apologize and withdraw case by April 23
• ECG staff urge prompt payment of electricity bills to ensure power production costs are covered