The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has cautioned its customers against engaging unauthorized private electricians to work within its network, warning that such illegal practices are causing widespread damage to its installations, contributing to power outages and financial losses.
Mr. George Amoah, General Manager of ECG in the Ashanti West Region, told the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi that unlicensed electricians were endangering lives and compromising power reliability.
According to him, these individuals often climb poles, tamper with transformers using substandard fuses, and illegally transfer customers from one phase to another. “Their actions are destroying our transformers and causing outages and low voltage to our customers,” he said, stressing that phase-swapping leads to overloading and system instability.
Mr. Amoah cited a recent incident in Suame District, where ECG lost a 33kV transformer at Bousie due to illegal tampering. The company was forced to replace it with a 200kV unit costing GH¢110,000.
He added that areas such as Adum Business District and Abinkyi have also suffered repeated disruptions because of unauthorized electrical works.
The financial impact, he explained, goes beyond equipment replacement. “We also lose money from unused power supply that has already been paid for, due to the outages caused by these activities,” he noted.
The ECG boss further warned that unauthorized electricians were putting themselves at risk of electrocution. He explained that the company’s ring system allows electricity to be supplied from different feeders during an outage.
“An electrician illegally climbing a pole may think there is no power in the lines, but we may be supplying from a different feeder, which could be fatal,” he cautioned.
Mr. Amoah revealed, show that some residents in Dabaa, Atwima Nwabiagya North Municipality, had hired a private electrician who charged GH¢150 to “restore power” during outages.
Monitoring later revealed that he had overloaded the red phase of a transformer by transferring multiple customers onto it, worsening power instability.
Mr. Amoah emphasised that all electricians working within the ECG network are required to hold official permits from the company. Authorized personnel can be identified through their ID cards, branded reflector vests, helmets, vehicles, and other ECG safety gear.
He warned that individuals caught engaging in illegal electrical activities would face prosecution, as mandated by Executive Instrument (EI) 38 of the Appointment of Public Prosecution Instrument (2010).
“Customers must only deal with ECG-accredited electricians and engineers,” Mr. Amoah stressed, urging the public to prioritize safety and help protect national electricity infrastructure.
