The Upper West Regional Office of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) resolved 548 out of the 563 complaints it received during the first half of 2026, achieving a resolution rate of 97.34 per cent.
The remaining 15 cases, representing 2.66 per cent of the total complaints, are still under investigation and resolution at the end of the reporting period.
The commission explained that most of the outstanding cases involved billing-related issues requiring further verification and reconciliation.
Of the total complaints received, 522, 92.72 per cent were lodged against the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), while 38 cases, 6.75 per cent, were against the Ghana Water Limited (GWL). Three complaints, representing 0.53 per cent, were submitted by utility providers against consumers.
Service quality dominates complaints
Speaking in an interview, the Upper West Regional Manager of the PURC, Ali Abdul-Wadud, said service quality issues accounted for most complaints recorded during the period.
According to him, 489 complaints, representing 86.86 per cent of the total, were related to service quality. Of these, 455 were against NEDCo and 34 against GWL.
He explained that the complaints largely concerned power outages, voltage fluctuations, transformer overloads, intermittent electricity supply, phase-off situations and broken electricity poles.
Water-related complaints included burst pipelines and inadequate water supply.
Billing issues
Mr Abdul-Wadud said billing-related complaints constituted the second-largest category, with 33 cases representing 5.86 per cent of the total complaints received.
The billing complaints comprised 30 cases against NEDCo and three against GWL.
Key issues raised included billing discrepancies, delayed bill adjustments and concerns regarding electricity and water charges.
Consumer service delivery recorded 17 complaints, representing 3.02 per cent, all against NEDCo.
Metering issues accounted for 10 complaints (1.78 per cent), while payment-related concerns constituted seven cases (1.24 per cent).
Three complaints, representing 0.53 per cent, involved allegations of unlawful disconnection.
No complaints were recorded regarding damaged equipment during the period under review.
Mr Abdul-Wadud attributed the rise in complaints partly to intensified public education and consumer engagement initiatives by the commission.
He noted that the outreach efforts had encouraged more consumers to report service-related challenges and seek redress through the appropriate channels.
He reaffirmed the commission's commitment to protecting consumers and said the regional office would continue to collaborate with utility service providers and other stakeholders to improve the quality, reliability and accessibility of electricity and water services in the Upper West and Savannah regions.
