Hubtel deployed AI to help ECG identify suspected electricity theft – CEO
The Chief Executive Officer of Hubtel, Alex Bram, has disclosed that the company worked with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help identify customers suspected of stealing electricity.
Hubtel CEO Alex Bram revealed that the company collaborated with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) in identifying customers suspected of electricity theft. This initiative exemplified Hubtel's early applications of AI to practical challenges faced by businesses and public institutions in Ghana.
Bram noted that ECG granted Hubtel the chance to test its AI capabilities using electricity-related data, which proved invaluable to the power distributor. In an interview preceding the second episode of the Digital Economy Forum, Bram disclosed that Hubtel started experimenting with AI in 2022, establishing an AI laboratory in 2023.
Initially, the company concentrated on building its AI models using machine learning and neural network technologies, collaborating with businesses to test the created systems. Bram mentioned that the application of AI to enhance productivity, bolster public services, and tackle economic issues would be a subject of discussion during the forum's second episode, themed "AI and the Ghana Economy: Opportunity or Disruption?"
The forum, co-hosted by Hubtel, will feature prominent figures such as the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Sam George; Dr Theo Acheampong, Economist and Technical Advisor at the Finance Ministry; Adam Watkins, Founder of AI for Ghana; Augustine Adjei, Head of Engineering at Hubtel; and Bright Simons, Vice President of IMANI Africa.
The event will air live on JoyNews and Joy 99.7 FM on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 8 p.m. Bram highlighted AI's potential in addressing electricity theft, a concern for power distributors as unauthorized consumption leads to revenue losses and hampers service improvement efforts. He explained that AI can analyze extensive consumption and billing data, spot unusual patterns, and flag accounts for further investigation, enabling electricity providers to concentrate their investigations more effectively than relying solely on conventional monitoring and inspection methods.
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