Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, has called for aggressive revenue collection across Ghana’s power sector, particularly from state-owned institutions that are not exempt from paying electricity bills.
The minister said improved revenue mobilization is critical to strengthening the financial position of energy sector institutions and ensuring the sustainability of electricity supply.
Speaking at the Bui Power Authority’s 2025 Annual Stakeholders’ Meeting, Dr Jinapor said it was unfair for some electricity consumers to default on their bills while compliant customers continued to shoulder the financial burden.
He stressed that state-owned institutions that are not covered by government’s electricity-bill exemptions must make provisions to pay for the power they consume.
According to the minister, the government wants greater fairness in electricity bill collection, with both private consumers and public institutions expected to meet their obligations.
Dr Jinapor also criticized the situation where some state institutions are able to secure funds to purchase diesel during power outages but struggle to pay their electricity bills when power supply is restored.
Revenue collection remains a major concern
The minister said weak revenue collection, particularly by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), continues to affect the financial position of other institutions within the power sector.
He pointed to the financial position of the Bui Power Authority, which recorded a profit of approximately US$62.2 million, but continues to face cash-flow challenges due largely to delayed payments from its off-taker, principally ECG.
Dr Jinapor said the Ministry of Energy and the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) have been working to improve revenue collection and strengthen the distribution of funds across the electricity value chain.
He said ensuring that power producers receive payment for electricity supplied remains essential to maintaining the financial health of the sector.
ECG introduces new meter-reading system
As part of efforts to improve collections, Dr Jinapor disclosed that ECG is introducing a technology-driven meter-reading system that will allow electricity bills to be generated remotely and sent directly to customers.
The minister said ECG is recruiting young people who will use handheld devices capable of reading meters without necessarily entering customers’ homes.
The system is expected to make meter reading more efficient while reducing billing challenges and improving the accuracy of electricity bills.
Minister warns against wasteful spending
Dr Jinapor also cautioned energy sector institutions that increased revenue collection must be accompanied by responsible spending.
He argued that collecting more money would not resolve the sector’s financial difficulties if institutions continued to spend resources inefficiently.
He therefore urged energy agencies to exercise greater spending discipline and channel available resources towards investments that improve operational efficiency.
The government, he said, remains committed to reforms aimed at restoring financial stability across the power sector, including measures under the Energy Sector Recovery Program and the cash waterfall mechanism.
The minister further indicated that improving revenue collection would enable institutions such as the Bui Power Authority to strengthen their operations and expand their participation in Ghana’s electricity market.
The renewed push for revenue mobilization comes as government seeks to address longstanding financial challenges within Ghana’s energy sector and ensure that electricity providers can meet their obligations across the power value chain.
