Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Monday called on utility providers to offer adequate training programmes for their staff in order to be responsive to the needs of consumers.
He said the training programmes could also boost the morale of the personnel to move away from “laxity and repulsive language” that
is often meted out to their clients.
Vice President Mahama made the appeal when he addressed a stakeholders’ meeting for the providers and consumers of electricity and water.
The meeting which was convened by the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) brought together Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL),
Electricity Company of Ghana, Volta River Authority, Ghana Grid Company and consumer associations.
It was meant to provide a platform for service providers and consumers to air their grievances, discuss the challenges confronting
the utility suppliers and how to find lasting solution to them.
Vice President Mahama said most of the staff members were impolite even when consumers make complaints on their services, adding: “Consumers I know will be willing to pay more if there is
quality service, but if we have to continue this way there will not be any justification for any increment.”
He called on workers of the utility companies to avoid “State Enterprise mentality”, where workers think that government offices
were not their personal property to give it their maximum attention.
“You are providing services and it is through that you are paid, so you need to do your best to please your consumers, who are always
right.”
He said the communication gap between service providers and consumers was too wide and called for regular meetings that would improve on the relationship.
Vice President Mahama advised the providers to respect the views of the PURC as their regulatory body.
“The PURC is your regulatory body and you must respect their directives,” he stressed.
The Vice President challenged GWCL to come out with a plan to restructure the water sector to address the numerous water problems in the urban areas.
Mr Stephen Adu, Executive Secretary of PURC called on the utility companies to step up their performance to avoid the perennial revenue
losses they were incurring due to interruptions in services.
He called for a strategy that would enable them to provide adequate communication and feedback on some of the complaints their
consumers present.
Mr Adu called on the GWCL to publish water timetable and rationing so that consumers were not taken aback anytime there was an interruption.
He called for sustainable engagement between service providers and consumers to ensure quality service.
Dr Emmanuel Annan, Chairman of the PURC said there was the need for service providers to make available consistent quality service to restore the confidence of consumers.