18th July 2011

As part of plans to ensure industrial harmony between utility providers and stakeholders, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, PURC, has interacted with IMANI, Ghana, a policy and research think tank in Accra to shed more insight into PURC’s activities for better appreciation.

The Director of Regulatory Economics and Research at PURC, Dr. Simons Akorli, noted that the Commission has adopted a critical approach in adjusting utility tariffs, taking into consideration the reliability of services rendered to consumers.

He said PURC also takes cognizance of uncontrollable factors such as consumer price index, exchange rates among others to help minimize the impact of tariff adjustment.

Dr. Akorli shared some perspectives on problems affecting reliable service delivery.

For his part, the Director of IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe, advocated the need to privatize the utilities to ensure competition and value for money as it is with the telecom Industry.

He also remarked that some criticisms from such think tanks are not borne out of mischief, but are geared towards ensuring goodwill and efficiency in advancing development.