Participants at a forum organized by the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) in Koforidua at the weekend expressed worry about poor performances by utility companies particularly electricity and water.
They noted that in spite of high bills that the public pay, the performances of service providers were nothing to write home about and called on the PURC to strengthen their monitoring and regulation of the utility companies.
The participants, who were mainly dressmakers, hairdressers, welders and mechanics groups from Nkawkaw, New Abirem, Akuapem North, Upper West Akyem, Suhum, Abetifi and many parts of the region, said the poor services being provided by these utility companies were affecting their business badly.
Frequent power cuts, sale of meters, new electricity and water connections and the lackadaisical manner in which faults are tackled were the top issues that the participants brought up at the forum and urged the PURC to take steps to address those issues.
The Regional Director of the PURC, Mr Jude Aduamoa, said the forum was to afford the consumers the opportunity to interact with the service providers on their concerns.
He said there was the need for the utility providers to strengthen their complaints and report desks to ensure prompt response to faults and other issues that bothered on their service delivery.
Mr Aduamoa noted for instance that most of the complaints that came to their end bothered on water cuts which had lasted for over five months and beyond without any efforts to remedy the situation despite the consumers' complaints.
Nana Ansah Sasraku, the Mamfehene and Kyidomhene of the Akuapem Traditional Area, who chaired the function, said both the consumers and the utility providers had a responsibility by ensuring that both sides were fairly and equitably treated in the provision of essential services.
He said it was imperative for the PURC to strictly monitor and enforce standards of performance for the utility services to help reduce the problems associated in the business delivery.
Nana Ansah Sasraku said being a consumer himself, he was of the view that communication should be the key strategy in building a partnership between the providers and the consumers by constantly informing them of challenges that might affect services.