Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Andreas Kamasah
Published on 2024-02-20 12:52:43
Accra Academy reconnected to national grid after GH¢5 million payment to ECG
The government, through the Ghana Education Service, has reportedly released GH¢5 million to address arrears owed by Second Cycle institutions to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). This move is believed to have influenced the power supplier’s decision to reconnect Accra Academy to the national grid.
The sudden disconnection of power plunged the prominent educational institution into a state of crisis, disrupting academic and residential activities. Teachers and students alike grappled with the challenges posed by the blackout, with no immediate resolution in sight.
In an exclusive interview with Citi News, a teacher from the school, speaking anonymously, expressed profound disappointment at the abrupt disconnection of power, labelling it as the saddest day in his 31-year-long teaching career. He lamented the dire situation, emphasizing that even teachers residing on campus with prepaid meters had their electricity supply severed.
“Today is the saddest in my life as a teacher who has worked for over 31 years. I’ve never seen this anywhere,” the teacher voiced, reflecting the frustration and despair prevalent among the school’s staff.
Describing the situation as painful and unprecedented, the anonymous teacher underscored the school’s innocence in the matter of settling electricity bills. He called upon the government to urgently intervene and ensure a resolution with the ECG to facilitate the restoration of the power supply to the school.
The disconnection of power to Accra Academy Senior High School is part of a broader trend of aggressive debt collection efforts by the Electricity Company of Ghana. Since last year, the ECG has been rigorously pursuing outstanding payments, leading to the disconnection of several private and public organizations from the national grid.
In response to the situation, Laila Abubakar, the External Communications Manager of ECG, explained in an interview with JoyNews that the power supplier’s task force was compelled to disconnect the school from the national grid due to the accumulated debts. However, she revealed that conversations were underway to settle the debts and restore power to Accra Academy as soon as possible.
“The problem ECG finds itself in is consistent debt. And every month, our debt profile is different. So we have to be more aggressive because we have bills to pay. We have issues so we have to be less compassionate, unfortunately,” myjoyonline.com quoted Laila as saying. She hinted that payment of about 50% of the debts and a pledge to pay the rest in the shortest possible time could prompt ECG to restore power to the school.
With power now reinstated, Accra Academy Senior High School can look forward to a return to normalcy, as teachers and students resume their academic and residential activities with renewed vigour and optimism. The release of GH¢5 million by the government to address arrears owed by Second Cycle institutions to the ECG has played a significant role in influencing the power supplier’s decision to reconnect the school to the national grid. The sudden disconnection of power had plunged the prominent educational institution into a state of crisis, disrupting academic and residential activities. This had led to profound disappointment among the school’s staff and a plea for government intervention to resolve the matter with the ECG. The disconnection of power to Accra Academy Senior High School is part of a broader trend of aggressive debt collection efforts by the Electricity Company of Ghana, leading to the disconnection of several private and public organizations from the national grid. Discussions are already underway to settle the debts and restore power to the school as soon as possible.
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