ECG cannot keep lending electricity for free

Electricity is not a costless promise. ECG buys power, moves it across a network, and must pay suppliers whether a postpaid customer settles on time or not. When a customer who can pay holds back payment, the utility is forced to finance that delay, with working capital, supplier arrears, or ultimately pressure on public finances and other customers. Ghana should stop treating that transfer of cost as harmless. The case is urgent. The IMF’s 2026 review estimated Ghana’s energy-sector revenue-cost shortfall at about US$1.4 billion in 2025, down from US$1.6 billion in 2024, while stressing that financial risks remain (IMF, 2026). Better collections contributed to the improvement, alongside tariff changes, currency movements and lower reliance on liquid fuels. That matters: no single collection measure can close a gap driven by several structural causes.