The former Board Chairman of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the MP for Effutu, Minority Leader in parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has responded strongly to recent accusations by ex-VRA CEO, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobbey, who linked him to ECG’s financial difficulties. Afenyo-Markin dismissed these claims as misleading and factually incorrect, emphasizing that they distort the timeline of his leadership at the state power distributor.
Afenyo-Markin clarifies, “I was not the Chairman of the ECG Board in 2023, as Dr. Wereko-Brobbey claimed. I was appointed on July 16, 2024, and sworn in the following day. My tenure lasted roughly six months, ending in January 2025”.
The Minority leader argued that any attempts to tie him to ECG’s losses in 2023 or early 2024 are baseless. Instead, he highlighted several reforms implemented during his brief tenure aimed at improving operational efficiency and reducing losses, such as modernizing metering infrastructure, expanding prepaid meter coverage, and curbing revenue leakages.
“At my first board meeting, I abolished ECG’s outdated procurement system and introduced a payment process based on verified deliveries, which saved the company significant costs,” he stated. “We also prioritized fixing malfunctioning meters, many of which had expired, to improve efficiency.”
Afenyo-Markin emphasized that during his tenure, ECG’s payments to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) reached record levels, reflecting his administration’s focus on financial responsibility and systemic reforms. He also dismissed calls for higher tariffs or new levies to address ECG’s challenges, describing such measures as shortsighted and counterproductive.
He reiterated that his approach centered on cost-saving reforms rather than tariff hikes, citing his public opposition to the recent one Cedi Energy Sector Levy per litre of fuel. “Relying on frequent tariff increases or new levies without addressing underlying inefficiencies is misguided. Less than 30% of consumers pay for electricity; the rest are lost through illegal connections, poor billing, and systemic lapses,” he explained.
Afenyo-Markin also criticized the recent tariff hikes approved by the current NDC government—14.75% in May and an additional 2.45% in July—calling the total 17.2% increase unjustifiable without first improving efficiency. “Tariffs should be based on efficiency, not mismanagement,” he asserted.
While acknowledging the progress made under previous ECG leadership, particularly in digitizing revenue systems and launching the Loss Reduction Programme, he stressed that his short tenure aimed to build on those foundations through structural reforms.
“I welcome constructive criticism, but claims must be supported by verifiable facts,” he told Dr. Wereko-Brobbey directly. “If you have evidence to back your allegations, I challenge you to make it public.”
Afenyo-Markin confirmed his commitment to national dialogue and non-partisan approaches to Ghana’s power sector issues. He emphasized that the way forward lies in structural reform, not partisan blame games, and remains dedicated to delivering better service and transparency for Ghanaian electricity consumers.
