The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, has revealed plans to lay a Legislative Instrument (L.I.) before Parliament to introduce stiffer penalties for individuals involved in the illegal installation of electricity meters.
Speaking during a parliamentary Q&A session on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, the minister noted that despite ongoing arrests and prosecutions, existing sanctions have failed to serve as an effective deterrent.
“Ordinarily, it is the ECG that has the mandate to install metres. We are working on an L.I. to be submitted to parliament. So that those who, otherwise, owe such metres, the penalties and penal measures will be quite severe to serve as a deterrent to others,” he said.
He added that a dedicated court currently handles such offences, and the upcoming legislation will further empower authorities to act decisively.
“We have been arresting people, and we have also been prosecuting them. There is even a dedicated court for such offences. So, in collaboration with this house, we intend to bring that legislation for us to make the punishment severe.”
The minister also highlighted an improvement in revenue collection by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), noting that the utility provider had generated GH¢1.6 billion in the first half of 2025 — a notable increase compared to the same period in 2024, though still below the GH¢2.5 billion annual target.
“ECG was able to raise about Ghc1.6 billion in revenue collection so far in the year, which is a remarkable improvement, even though the target ought to be Ghc2.5 billion. If you do a year-on-year comparison, what it means is that this month, 2025, as compared to the same month in 2024, there is a remarkable improvement in terms of revenue collection,” the energy minister added.
