His visit began at the Northern Regional Coordinating Council, where he held discussions with the Regional Minister, and later paid courtesy calls on the Paramount Chief of the Gulkpegu Traditional Area and the Chief of Tamale at the Dakpema Palace to garner traditional authority support in addressing power theft and illegal connections, which have become widespread in the region.
The Minister also inspected ongoing projects at the Adubiliyili and Lamanshegu substations, which are scheduled for completion by June 30. These projects are expected to significantly boost power distribution in the area.
Accompanied by Mr John Okine Yamoah, Managing Director of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), Mr Jinapor explained that the visit was prompted by the current erratic power supply affecting socioeconomic activities in the metropolis.
He cited illegal electricity connections as a major challenge, revealing that 50 per cent of power theft across the country was recorded in the northern region, with over 70 percent of such theft cases recorded in the Greater Tamale Metropolis, which results in huge revenue losses to NEDCo.
The Minister explained that “Because of illegal connections, a transformer that is originally made to serve like ten people in the community, end up serving more than the required number which invariably results in heavy power interruptions that affects the entire community”.
He emphasized the need for collaborative efforts, saying, “It is in the interest of all stakeholders, especially law-abiding citizens, to help us combat illegal connections in order to stabilize the power supply.”
Mr Jinapor stressed that timely completion of substation projects hinges on adequate financial resources, which makes effective revenue mobilization critical, and urged NEDCo to introduce a flexible payment plan for indebted customers to help curb power theft and enhanced revenue mobilization.
Mr Ali Adolf John, Northern Regional Minister, reiterated his commitment to combating illegal connections and improving revenue mobilization, adding that he had already engaged Assembly Members within the metropolis to support these efforts.
He further appealed to NEDCo to delay the planned disconnection of defaulting customers until the end of the month, allowing time for many to receive their salaries and to settle their bills to minimise related hardships.
Speaking on behalf of the Paramount Chief of Gulkpegu, Alhaji Abu Issah Safianu, the Tuu-Naa of the Gulkpegu Traditional Area, expressed support for NEDCo’s operations and urged the company to adopt a more humane approach to revenue collection to prevent confrontations with members of the public.
GNA
