Only 36% of businesses described electricity as very or mostly reliable – KPMG, UNDP survey

According to a survey conducted by KPMG and the United Nations Development Programme, just 36% of businesses consider electricity to be very or mostly reliable. This low reliability rating is attributed to occasional interruptions experienced by 47% of businesses and the prioritization of affordable and predictable tariffs by 44%.

The survey underscores how power interruptions, affordability, and billing issues combine to impact businesses. The report recommends that the government and sector institutions focus on improving feeder-level reliability, meter accuracy, resolving complaints, and disclosing service-quality performance in productive areas. While a tariff hold can offer stability, it cannot replace the need for operational improvements.

The Electricity Company of Ghana's distribution reform should address billing accuracy, technical and commercial losses, and transparent treatment of public-service obligations. The International Monetary Fund's November review also emphasized the importance of completing the delayed audit of Electricity Company of Ghana collection accounts.

Any extension of tariff hours should be evaluated based on cost recovery and actual electricity demand. Focus-group participants identified billing disputes and power interruptions as significant operational constraints that affect production and cash-flow planning. They are calling for better metering, distribution performance, and transparent service standards, recognizing these as crucial for reliable production.

The survey's respondents were predominantly male, with 75% being male, and 66.1% residing in the Greater Accra region.