The Ashanti Regional Office of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) recorded a 27.14 per cent increase in consumer complaints in 2025, compared to the previous year.
The office received 1,599 complaints in 2025, up from 1,161 in 2024.
Out of the total complaints, 1,295 were lodged against the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), while Ghana Water Limited accounted for 86.
This was disclosed by the Regional Public Relations Officer of PURC, Richard Asiedu, during a media briefing on the performance of the Commission for the year ending December 2025.
Mr Asiedu said 1,326 cases were successfully resolved, representing 82.9 per cent of all complaints received.
He explained that the sharp rise in complaints reflects the Commission’s expanded visibility and community engagement across the region.
“This increase is indicative of the Commission’s deliberate effort to enhance its presence through community monitoring, complaint clinics, stakeholder engagements, regulatory initiatives and the dedication of our regional staff,” he said.
The Commission indicated that through its interventions in 2025, over GHS 500,177.22 was adjusted in favour of consumers, while GHS 81,862,851 was recovered for utility companies.
“These are monies that consumers would have paid unfairly if not for our intervention. At the same time, we also supported utility companies to retrieve revenue from institutions and consumers who owed them,” he explained.
The Ashanti regional office also facilitated the replacement of 21 utility poles, including nine concrete poles and eleven wooden poles, mostly by ECG.
He said the intervention benefited over 16,000 consumers at a total cost of GHS 97,374.
Additionally, 40 faulty meters were replaced following complaints from consumers, while 11 transformers were also replaced across the region through PURC’s intervention.
Mr Asiedu noted that the majority of quality-of-service complaints were reported through the Assembly Member Platform, a digital reporting system created for local government representatives.
The common issues included frequent power outages, voltage fluctuations, and low voltage supply.
He said the Commission acted swiftly on these reports to ensure affected communities received solutions.
Looking ahead, the Ashanti Regional Office of PURC has launched its 2026 theme: “Collaborative Regulation for Strategic Impact.”
Mr Asiedu said the Commission will strengthen partnerships with the media, consumers, associations and utility providers to ensure better service delivery in the coming year.
“If we want real impact, we must collaborate. That is our focus for 2026,” he added.
