The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) Western and Western North Regional Office resolved 96.12 percent of consumer complaints received in the first quarter of 2026, successfully closing 422 of the 439 cases logged between January and March.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) attracted the overwhelming share of complaints, accounting for 419 cases or 95.44 percent of the total. Ghana Water Limited (GWL) recorded 17 complaints, representing 3.87 percent, while three complaints were filed by utility providers against consumers during the same period.
WhatsApp emerged as the dominant channel for lodging complaints, accounting for 380 cases or 86.56 percent of the total, reflecting a clear consumer preference for digital communication platforms. Phone calls represented the second most used channel at 8.43 percent, followed by written correspondence at 3.19 percent. Walk-in visits and Consumer Service Committee referrals recorded the lowest usage at 0.68 percent and 1.14 percent respectively.
Quality of service issues dominated complaint categories, with 403 cases recorded. Billing concerns, unlawful disconnections, metering problems, property damage and consumer service delivery issues followed in descending order. The concentration of service quality complaints points to persistent reliability challenges among utility providers in the two regions.
Complaint volumes have fluctuated over the past three years, falling from 421 in the first quarter of 2024 to 233 in the same period of 2025, before rising sharply to 439 in the first quarter of 2026. The PURC attributed the increase partly to enhanced public awareness campaigns and improved access to complaint channels.
Beyond complaint resolution, the regional office conducted monitoring exercises covering 11 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) across the wood processing, hospitality and sachet water production sectors. Community monitoring visits were carried out in 10 communities including Dokresu, Anakum and Essuehyia, while six ECG district offices and four GWL district offices were assessed for adherence to regulatory performance benchmarks.
The Commission said it would intensify measures to ensure complaints are handled efficiently and fairly, with the goal of improving utility service delivery standards across both regions.
