The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor, has announced a shift in the government’s electricity billing policy, confirming that all state institutions are now required to pay their electricity bills.
According to the Minister, the Cabinet has approved a new policy mandating all public institutions to be placed either on prepaid meters or on a monthly billing and payment arrangement with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
He noted, however, that a few sensitive institutions have been exempted from the prepaid metering system, though they are still required to pay their electricity bills.
“Only four institutions – the Presidency, the Police Service, the Military, and education and health facilities – have been put in a different category. Even with them, they are supposed to pay for their electricity, except that they won’t be placed on prepaid meters,” Hon. Jinapor told Parliament.
The Minister explained that this move is part of broader reforms aimed at tackling illegal electricity connections, improving metering efficiency, and enhancing revenue collection.
“We have embarked on a Loss Reduction Programme, which includes the installation of smart meters, replacement of obsolete meters, and introduction of enhanced meter management systems. As of April 2025, about 1.2 million smart meters have been installed, and we plan to add 2 million more by 2029, with support from the World Bank,” he disclosed.
The ECG, he said, has constituted task forces that are cracking down on illegal connections, citing recent arrests and prosecutions in certain housing estates.
Some government-owned agencies, he said, were also disconnected recently, and a payment schedule was agreed with them for reconnection, stressing that the implementation of the Cabinet directive has already begun.
The Minister also addressed concerns about fraudulent actors possessing and installing fake meters and revealed plans to introduce stricter penalties. According to him, the Ministry is working with stakeholders to draft a Legislative Instrument (L.I) to strengthen the law, and indicated prosecutions of offenders in a dedicated court have already started.
He appealed to Ghanaians for cooperation to ensure the sustainability of the electricity supply:
The ECG and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) have been under pressure to improve revenue performance and reduce commercial and technical losses, which continue to undermine the financial sustainability of the energy sector. The current reforms are expected to address leakages and ensure that all consumers, including government institutions, are held accountable.
