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Organised labour has strongly opposed government plans to privatise the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), describing the move as unnecessary and detrimental to national interest.
At a press conference in Accra, the Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) said government’s proposed “private sector participation” is effectively privatisation and would lead to the complete takeover of ECG and NEDCo operations by private entities.
According to the union, information available to it indicates that a technical steering committee has proposed concession arrangements that would transfer power distribution from the bulk supply point to the consumer delivery point entirely into private hands, a move labour says amounts to dismantling the two state-owned utilities.
The TUC argued that recent performance improvements at ECG and NEDCo invalidate claims that the companies are inefficient and beyond repair. It cited a six-month union-led turnaround programme implemented between July and December 2025, which reportedly increased ECG’s average monthly revenue from about GH¢900 million to GH¢1.75 billion.
The union said the revenue gains have improved power supply stability and ensured timely payments to independent power producers, reducing the risk of shutdowns. These improvements, labour noted, have been acknowledged by the Minister of Finance, the Majority Leader in Parliament, the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, and the IMF Resident Representative in Ghana.
At NEDCo, the TUC said targeted loss-reduction measures have begun yielding results, with distribution losses declining significantly over the past year, despite the company serving a high proportion of lifeline consumers who pay subsidised tariffs.
Labour leaders insisted that rather than pursuing privatisation, government should extend and review the ongoing turnaround programme, strengthen oversight, end political interference, and provide the necessary structural support to allow ECG and NEDCo to operate efficiently as public utilities.
The TUC warned it would resist any attempt to privatise ECG or NEDCo, stressing that the utilities are strategic national assets vital for energy security, job protection, and affordable electricity access.
Yaw Boagyan
