In an ambitious push to achieve universal electricity coverage, the Government of Ghana introduced the Self-Help Electrification Program (SHEP) meters, deploying millions across the country.
This move, though laudable in its intent to extend electricity to underserved communities, has proven to be poorly coordinated and detrimental to the finances of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
The lack of strategic planning, oversight, and follow-up in capturing these meters into ECG's billing database has inadvertently led to widespread revenue losses, unchecked electricity consumption, and exacerbated inefficiencies across the electricity distribution system. SHEP was designed with the noble objective of bridging the electricity access gap by installing meters in remote areas.
Yet, its execution lacked foresight and the critical coordination required to integrate these new meters into ECG's centralized data management system.