Digitalization Of ECG Began In 2016 – ECG workers To Dr. Bawumia

Workers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have refuted assertion in relation  to digitalization made by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

The Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU) of the Trades Union Congress (Ghana) issued a statement to set the record straight, highlighting the ECG’s efforts to digitalize its operations since 2016.

According to the statement, the ICT department of ECG initiated digitalization efforts as far back as July 2016, with the rollout of the ECG Power App and USSD services.

The launch of the ECG Power App was even attended by the Vice President himself in 2020.

“We are not only unfounded but also damaging to the morale and reputation of our hardworking members,” said Michael Adumatta Nyantakyi, General Secretary of PUWU.

The statement also emphasized that the ransomware attacks were not an internal sabotage, but rather the work of an international cybercriminal group (Lockbit).

The workers pointed out that the National Security personnel had access to ECG systems during the attacks, and yet, some ECG ICT staff were arrested and detained for days without any proof.

“We wish to state that it was the ECG ICT staff who used their system recovery strategy and worked tirelessly day and night to restore the systems and even assisted the National Security operatives on how to operate the ECG systems.

The ECG ICT staff led the recovery effort, with the support of the E-crime Bureau, a cyber security firm, invited by the ECG Board,” he added.

The workers also disputed claims of a significant revenue increase post-digitalization, citing public records from ECG’s 2019 Annual Report.

They argued that the company’s financial performance has been improving gradually, with a marginal rise in average monthly revenue.

“ECG’s financial performance is a matter of public record, as indicated in the company’s 2019 Annual Report.

The average monthly revenue for the period 2017 to 2019 was around GHS532.7 million. In the 2023 signed SIGA – ECG Performance Contract, the average monthly revenue is GHS631.3 million as at early 2022. These documents are available to the public on the ECG website,” said Nyantakyi.

The statement also expressed concerns about attempts to privatize ECG and urged stakeholders to refrain from disparaging their hardworking members.

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“We are fully aware of the several attempts by some key stakeholders to push for the privatization of ECG and the deliberate attempt to give ECG a bad name and hang it.

We urge key stakeholders to refrain from disparaging our hardworking members and instead recognize their contributions to national development, in the face of many challenges including the shortage of critical resources for smooth operations,” concluded Nyantakyi.

The workers also raised concerns about the security implications of sharing source code with external parties, questioning whether this compromised ECG’s network security.

To sum up, the workers urged stakeholders to acknowledge their contributions to national development and refrain from making unfounded accusations.

“We urge all stakeholders to recognize our hardworking members’ contributions to national development, in spite of many challenges including shortages of critical resources for smooth operations.

We are committed to ensuring that our services remain reliable and efficient,” said Nyantakyi.

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