By Daniel Bampoe
Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has strongly responded to recent public comments by Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobbey, a former Chief Executive Officer of the Volta River Authority (VRA), accusing him of misleading Ghanaians over claims about his stewardship as Board Chairman of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
In a detailed statement issued Sunday, Afenyo-Markin categorically denied the allegations and outlined key reforms he led during his tenure, while challenging Dr. Wereko-Brobbey to back his assertions with facts.
Dr. Wereko-Brobbey, in an interview on TV3, had sought to tie ECG’s financial troubles and operational inefficiencies in 2023 and early 2024 to the leadership of Afenyo-Markin.
However, the former ECG Board Chair called those claims factually flawed, stating he only assumed the role in July 2024—months after the events in question.
“I was appointed on 16th July 2024 and sworn in on the 17th. My first board meeting took place on 31st July 2024, and I served until January 2025,” Afenyo-Markin clarified.
“To suggest I should be held responsible for ECG’s performance prior to my appointment is not only inaccurate but disingenuous.”
According to him, ECG’s financial losses in 2023 and early 2024 cannot be blamed on a leadership that had not yet assumed office.
Instead, he said his six-month stewardship was defined by a clear reform agenda to reverse years of mismanagement, beginning with a total overhaul of the company’s procurement and contract management systems.
Previously, ECG would process payments based on Bills of Lading handed over by vendors at the port—without proper validation or physical inspection of goods.
“This exposed the company to significant financial risk,” Afenyo-Markin said.
“We scrapped that model and implemented a system where payments are made only after confirmed delivery of
goods at ECG’s facilities. That reform alone saved ECG substantial sums.”
Additionally, he intensified the company’s Loss Reduction Programme, first introduced under former President Akufo-Addo, to deal with revenue losses linked to expired or obsolete meters.
The strategy focused on upgrading metering infrastructure, expanding prepaid systems, and closing gaps that enabled illegal connections and faulty billing.
During his short tenure, Afenyo-Markin also oversaw timely and improved payments to Independent Power Producers (IPPs), describing it as “the highest cumulative payments in recent years” to keep power supply stable and avoid generation shutdowns.
Contrary to assumptions that his leadership would call for new tariffs or levies, he emphasized that his approach was grounded in efficiency and cost savings, not consumer burden.
He notably opposed the controversial 1 cedi Energy Sector Levy per litre of fuel, arguing it was an unjustified imposition on already burdened Ghanaians.
“Tariffs, when necessary, must be based on efficiency—not introduced to cover for mismanagement,” he said, further criticizing the recent 17.2% electricity tariff hikes imposed by the current NDC administration—broken down into a 14.75% increase in May and another 2.45% in July 2025.
He revealed that during his term, reports showed that less than 30% of electricity consumers paid for the power they used, with the remainder lost through illegal connections, inefficiencies, and system flaws.
“If we don’t fix these systemic problems, no amount of tariff hikes or new levies will save ECG,” he warned.
Acknowledging the contributions of his predecessors, especially in the early digitalisation of ECG’s revenue collection, Afenyo-Markin stated his reforms were a continuation aimed at building a stronger, more accountable utility company.
“My job was to continue the work and improve on it—and I did so to the best of my ability.”
Turning directly to Dr. Wereko-Brobbey, the Minority Leader challenged him to provide evidence to back his claims or retract them in the interest of factual public discourse.
“Your comments are not only misleading but fail to appreciate the depth of reforms undertaken during my tenure. If you possess evidence to support your allegations, I urge you to present it. Otherwise, let us move beyond political mudslinging and focus on national interest.”
