The National Private Electricity Vendors Association has passionately appealed to the Electricity Company of Ghana to reconsider the new minimum quota level of ¢20000.
This follows an increase in the minimum quota purchase per meter type from ¢5000 to ¢20,000, effective March 1, 2023.
A letter signed by the Managing Director of the ECG, Samuel Dubik Mahama, pointed out that this is to reduce the volume of daily transactions and also to quicken the processing of quota purchased by individual vendors.
But the National Private Electricity Vendors Association in a statement said vendors who have now dropped or may dropped effective from March 1, 2023 will definitely cause inconvenience to ECG customers within their localities because they will then have to travel to other areas to purchase credits for their meters.
“With due respect, may we request you to consider not to increase the minimum quota level to the ¢20,000. We fervently appeal that you maintain the current quota purchase of ¢5000 per meter , since the change will have tremendous impact on vendors as well as customers within the communication countrywide”.
Also, it said with even the current minimum level some vendors have dropped from operating from their locality simply because they are finding it difficult to raise enough capital for their operations, pay for shops rent, utilities and cashiers they have employed.
“Some vendors are also operating more than one meter system because of their locations either on boundary with other meters installation or ECG Districts boarders”, it mentioned.
“Again not all vendors will have the capacity to obtain enough funds to cope and operate with the new minimum level of quota purchase especially when they are operating more than one meter systems. Sacrifices by vendors to stand in ECG during odd hours when the letter is not operating will have harsh consequences on customers countrywide because majority may not have the required amount being requested to operate more”, it added.
Continuing, it said the ECG should take a cue from the Bank of Ghana which has directed the telecom firms to limit their customer’s transactions to only ¢15,000, “so raising your requirement to ¢20,000 will be in contravention to Bank of Ghana’s directives and obviously pose great challenge to vendors loading their wallets”.
Furthermore, the National Private Electricity Vendors Association said the possibility of compounding unemployment in the country will also be very great for as it is now that no vender employs less than two cashiers for their operations.
“We should also very mindful of the fact that every negative issue happening in this our country is always attributed to the government. Inconveniencing customers in their localities may cause/call for the government intervention in such a situation, especially when the country is drawing near to election”, it added.
“May we humbly suggest that in view of ECG Management intention to introduce the super vending concept, some of these issues be assigned to the Super Vendors to be appointed to handle, so that Vendors can thrash out most of these complications that may crop up in the process with their respective assigned Super Vendors”, it concluded.
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