His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo inaugurated the newly appointed Board of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) on Friday 5 November 2021 at the Jubilee House.
The nine-member board is chaired by Mr. Ebo B. Quagrainie. The other members of the board are Mrs. Mami Dufie Ofori, Executive Secretary, Dr. Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, representing the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr. Yaw Adu Gyamfi, representing the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Mr. Patrick Nyarko representing domestic consumers, Professor Joe Amoako-Tuffour, Mrs. Dora Oppong, Mr. Ishmael Edjekumhene and Dr. Nii Darko Kobina Asante.
President Akufo-Addo said that the PURC, since its inception and through the development of regulations, tariff setting guidelines, monitoring systems and a transparent and independent tariff setting process, has contributed immensely to the promotion and sustainability of competition, evident in the introduction of private sector investment in the utility sector. He added that this has led to a massive improvement in accessibility to utility services.
He further charged the Commission not to overlook its other mandates such as protecting both the consumers and the utility service providers, and sanctioning any public utility that fails to meet required standards of performance in accordance with Section 13 of the PURC Act.
Board Chairman
The Board Chairman, Mr. Ebo Quagrainie, acknowledged that the task ahead needs to be tackled with total commitment, dedication and transparency. He assured the President and the people of Ghana that in that spirit, the new board would engage in discussions with all stakeholders on the appropriate tariff structure for electricity and water. He reiterated that the current Commission would boost its engagement with stakeholders to introduce a cost recovery based tariff regime that would promote efficiency and growth in the energy sector.
Board members being sworn into office by President Akufo-Addo |
Mr. Ebo B. Quagrainie, Chairman of the PURC Board making his remarks |