As part of the Commission's continued and deliberate efforts to bring its services closer to the doorsteps of the general public, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Consumer Service Committees (CSC) of Tumu in the Upper West Region was established on October 23 2021, under Part 3 Section 31 of the PURC Act 1997, (Act 538). The CSC is supposed to act as the ‘eyes of the Commission’ with respect to activities of the regulated utilities in the community.
The CSCs are located in areas of the country where the Commission has no offices. Their primary responsibility of the CSC is to intercede on behalf of consumers and to consult with utility service providers on matters affecting consumers in their areas of jurisdiction, inform the Commission on service quality delivery and issues facing consumers within their locality. The CSCs suggest to the Commission, the best way for service providers to improve services to consumers within their communities and to educate consumers on their rights and responsibilities.
The Director, Regional Operations and Consumer Services, Alhaji Jabaru Abukari, as part of his routine regional tour to the Upper West Region, paid a working visit to the Consumer Service Committee (CSC) at Tumu. He commended the CSC for their good work and sacrifices in advancing the course of the Commission in their operational area. He stated that the Commission recognises the efforts and pro-activeness of the CSC in handling issues of consumers, and utility service providers in the Sissala East Municipality. He encouraged the CSC to uphold the integrity of the Commission and to be circumspect in their utterances as the country approaches the 2024 elections. He further urged the CSC to work on building their capacity because the dynamics within the sector keeps changing. He also acknowledged the challenges faced by the CSC in executing their task and assured the Committee of the Commission’s resolution in providing them with the needed support and logistics to aid in the delivery of their mandate.
Alhaji Jabaru also took the opportunity to visit the NEDCo Tumu outstation. He encouraged the staff of NEDCo to collaborate with the CSC-Tumu, to ensure that the quality-of-service delivery to the consuming public in the area is not compromised. He noted that the service provider should embrace the Committee as partners in service delivery and not as enemies
