Samuel Dubik Mahama, the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has strongly refuted the notion that Power Distribution Services (PDS) outperformed ECG in revenue collection. He labeled such comparisons as “intellectual dishonesty,” criticizing those who juxtapose the two entities’ revenue mobilization efforts.
In a conversation with Bernard Avle on The Point of View, aired on Channel One TV, Mahama made it clear that ECG’s current revenue collection surpasses what was achieved during the PDS period. He emphasized, “Right now, nobody can tell you that the PDS era was the best in terms of collection, no, it’s not true. PDS was for five months. You see people coming up with graphs that compare a five-month period with a whole year. That’s not being fair, that’s intellectual dishonesty.”
He argued that any valid comparison should be “like-for-like,” ensuring that the assessment is both fair and accurate. Mahama stated, “The company currently is doing very well, even way better than the PDS era.”
Mahama also voiced his concerns about the business model that would be used if ECG were to operate under private-sector principles similar to those adopted by PDS. He questioned, “What is the business model that we want to see? We cannot run such a huge parastatal company like the way we run a cottage industry, where you have one basket. Everything comes into the basket then you put a paper, a pen and a ruler, this one goes here, this one goes here. No, you need to find a proper business model.”
He suggested involving financial experts to develop a robust business model for ECG, one that includes better financial management practices, such as using credit lines and letters of credit, instead of paying for everything upfront.
“We need to have a holistic conversation,” Mahama urged. “We need to look at the whole business approach and come out with a decision to say hey, this is where we’re going. But if the government will be able to give ECG the same Condition Precedent, I believe strongly we should be able to [work].”
In 2019, the Government of Ghana terminated the Concession Agreement with Power Distribution Services (PDS) Limited, ending the company’s brief management of ECG’s assets.
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