The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), in collaboration with the Energy Commission (EC) and other key sector players, successfully convened a multi-stakeholder validation workshop at the Peninsula Resort, Akosombo. The workshop which was held from Wednesday, June 25, 2025 to Friday, June 27, 2025 under the auspices of the African Development Bank (AfDB) brought together participants from the PURC, Energy Commission, the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition (MoEGT), and leading utility providers, including the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Volta River Authority (VRA), Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), Ghana Water Limited (GWL), Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC), and Enclave Power Company (EPC). Strategic partners from Civil Society Organisations including the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) also participated.
The main aim of the workshop was to review and validate the second phase of the PURC’s Database Management System (DBMS), which is sponsored by the AfDB. The workshop marked a pivotal milestone in PURC’s efforts to advance digital transformation and strengthen regulatory oversight in Ghana’s electricity, water, and natural gas utility sectors.
The DBMS Phase II builds on the gains of Phase I, which laid the foundation for improved operational efficiency. The second phase seeks to deliver a fully automated platform for collecting, reporting, sharing, and analyzing technical, operational, financial, and commercial data across the regulatory ecosystem.
The Ag. Executive Secretary of PURC, Dr. Shafic Suleman, in his opening remarks, emphasised that Phase II of the DBMS, marks a pivotal step forward for both regulators and utilities. He noted that the initiative presents a critical opportunity to not only enhance system capabilities but also to align regulatory tools with the evolving demands of the energy, water, and natural gas sectors.
Dr. Suleman described the DBMS Phase II as a collaborative platform that values diverse input, fosters dialogue, and strengthens the utility sector. He underscored the importance of collective participation in shaping a system that promotes better decision-making, improved oversight, and greater transparency, efficiency, and accountability, which ultimately leads to enhanced service delivery for all Ghanaians.
Dr. Suleman, in his concluding remarks, called for deeper collaboration between regulators and utilities to drive regulatory excellence and sector-wide transformation of the system’s architecture, its alignment with key performance indicators, institutional objectives, and national regulatory frameworks. This workshop also underscored the importance of the Commission in ensuring data integrity and strengthening collaboration between utilities and regulators.
The Ag. Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission (EC), Mrs. Eunice Biritwum, reaffirmed the EC's commitment to digital innovation as a driver for improving regulatory effectiveness. “DBMS Phase II, the goal is ambitious and essential, without accurate, real-time data, our ability to regulate effectively and deliver efficient service will be severely limited. At this stage, we aim to address longstanding issues such as inconsistent data reporting, limited analytics, and manual processes that hinder regulatory responses and oversight” she said.
Mrs. Biritwum, in her concluding remarks, emphasised that “our shared vision with PURC is to establish a resilient, data-driven regulatory environment, where utility performance can be assessed, public trust is reinforced, and policy decisions are based on accurate and timely information.”
Mr. Solomon Sarpong, Energy Economist and Task Manager for the project at the African Development Bank (AfDB), explained that the DBMS initiative stems from the African Development Bank’s Electricity Regulatory Index (ERI), which evaluates regulatory frameworks across Africa. He noted that, Ghana’s assessment revealed, among others, a lack of transparency and limited stakeholder engagement.
According to Mr. Sarpong, the PURC and the Energy Commission sought AfDB support for digital solutions, which gave birth to the digital regulatory system, launched in 2021, which focused primarily on strengthening regulatory institutions. Phase Two of the project, which is funded by the KOAFEC Fund, broadens the system to include both regulators and utility providers. A potential Phase Three may introduce features that enable direct consumer engagement. “The AfDB has committed approximately $600,000 to the project. This investment supported a consultant-led risk assessment and will now transition into the vendor deployment phase”, he noted.
The workshop was moderated by Mr. Kelvin Kwao, the Head of ICT in PURC, and provided a forum for open dialogue and collaborative problem-solving concerning critical issues such as real-time data sharing, reporting, analytics, regulatory dashboards, cybersecurity, and data interoperability. The stakeholders reached a consensus on the core system specifications, validated the technical proposal, helped refine the technical template plan, and approved the proposed recommendations. A stakeholder-approved specification document was created as a key deliverable, laying the groundwork for the next phase of project deployment.
