The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has launched Phase II of its state-of-the-art Database Management System (DBMS), which is geared towards effective utility (power and water) sector regulation in Ghana. This Project, which is a build up on the successful implementation of phase 1, would enhance open access to regulatory information, transparency of regulatory processes, stakeholder engagement and participation in the regulatory process. The project will also institute a mechanism for tracking and monitoring the performance of utility service providers and consumer complaints for quality-of-service regulation. Furthermore, it will provide real-time engagement between regulators and investors on many issues. The entire project is being funded by the Korea Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC), and the African Development Bank (AfDB), under the theme: Ghana: Effective Utility Sector Regulation Through Improved Technology.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Board of PURC, Mr. Ebo B. Quagrainie, said that, phase II of the database management system is significant to the PURC, the utilities, and key stakeholders in the energy sector for a number of reasons. Firstly, the system will attest to the digital leadership that has been championed by the AfDB to promote credible data collection, transparency, and effective regulation on the African continent. Secondly, the system would ensure financial sustainability to help mobilize private sector investments for the development of energy projects in Africa.
According to the Board Chairman, “notwithstanding the success and the significant impact of the already deployed DBMS for PURC, there remains a key and final step to complete the loop, this would involve direct integration of the DBMS with digital systems and platforms of utility service providers across the electricity value chain (generation, transmission, and distribution) to form an Integrated Digital Platform (IDP) with real-time information and data exchanges between regulators, utilities, consumers, and other stakeholders”.
Mr. Quargrainie added; that the second phase of the DBMS will enhance open access to regulatory information, transparency of the regulatory processes, stakeholder engagement and participation in the regulatory processes as well as institute a mechanism for tracking and monitoring the performance of utility service providers and consumer complaints for quality-of-service regulation. It will also provide real-time engagement between regulators and utilities on many issues. The deployment of this centralized DBMS in Ghana will be a trail-blazing regulatory initiative, which will generate great interest from the regulatory community across Africa.
The Executive Secretary of PURC, Dr. Ishmael Ackah, explained that the Commission is a data-driven organization, with many levels of communication and diverse stakeholders. The Commission seeks to protect the interests of utility service providers and their customers at the same time. Dr. Ackah noted that, over the years, the Commission has relied solely on data churned out and submitted by the utility service providers without any system of independently verifying and validating the data. The current system of manual data gathering and verification, raises issues of data inconsistencies, misinformation, and transparency, which affects the ability of PURC to make regulatory decisions.
The Commission intends to expand upon the current capabilities of its DBMS 1 to further assist in improving the Commission’s ability to meet its regulatory objectives. Phase II of this project, is meant to be integrated into the Commission’s existing DBMS 1, with a focus on automating data collection such as the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) and Complaints Data from utility service providers. This will have the extra step of automatically evaluating and analysing the collected data to measure and monitor performances. Phase II will also include upgrading PURC’s complaints mobile app and include an iOS version.
Dr. Ackah indicated that, under Phase I, which commenced in June 2021, complaints received via the DBMS between June 2021 and November 30, 2021, numbered 20,810, of which 18,026 were resolved. He further explained that, implementation of the second phase of the DBMS is the best opportunity for PURC to overcome data management hurdles, which will be done through the automation and consistent gathering of data on a computer network system, which will directly connect to relevant systems of the regulated utility service providers.
On behalf of the President of the African Development Group, Dr. Akiwumi A. Adesina; the Country Manager of Ghana Country Office of AfDB, Ms. Eyerusalem Fasika, commended the PURC for pioneering this digitization initiative, which has become a blueprint for replication across many African countries.
Ms. Fasika emphasized that the Bank has been at the forefront of mainstreaming electricity regulatory issues within the borders of power discourse in Africa. She indicated that, this digitalization initiative was born out of the Bank’s flagship Electricity Regulatory Index (ERI) for Africa (ERI), which empirically assesses regulatory frameworks of African countries, identifies regulatory gaps and bottlenecks, and makes recommendations to address them.
According to Ms. Fasika, the initiative underscores the Bank’s efforts to support Regulatory Member Countries to improve the quality and effectiveness of energy regulation using customized solutions to address identified regulatory bottlenecks and create an enabling environment, that can attract private investments into the energy sector.
Present at the function was the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy, Hon. Samuel Atta Kyea, Members of Civil Society Organisations, the general Public and the Media.
