The government is meeting the Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU) today, Monday, September 28, 2026, as consultations continue over plans to introduce private-sector participation in the operations of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo).
The meeting will allow PUWU to formally present its concerns, proposals and alternative measures for improving the financial and operational performance of the two state-owned electricity distributors.
PUWU has opposed the proposed private-sector involvement, arguing that improvements in ECG’s revenue mobilisation demonstrate that the company can be turned around with continued government support.
The union has also announced plans to protest against the proposed arrangement, insisting that increased state investment and stronger institutional support could address some of ECG’s challenges without involving a private operator.
The government, however, says the consultation process must consider all available options before a final decision is made.
The transaction adviser handling the proposed private-sector participation has been tasked with engaging workers and other stakeholders as part of the assessment.
The consultations are expected to gather views from workers, civil society organisations, Parliament, customers and other industry stakeholders.
The transaction adviser will then submit a report to guide the government’s consideration of the proposed reforms and other options for improving the utilities.
Deputy Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Richard Gyan-Mensah, said the government understands PUWU’s concerns and will continue to involve the union throughout the process.
“I understand their concerns, and we share in their concerns, but they should let us go through the process. They will be involved all through the process; they will not be left out,” he said in an interview on Citi FM on Friday, September 25.
Mr Gyan-Mensah said today’s meeting would also give the government an opportunity to consider the improvements reported by ECG workers in revenue mobilisation and assess their argument that further state investment could make private-sector participation unnecessary.
“We have not exhausted all the avenues before the implementation,” he said, adding that the government remains open to considering the various proposals before reaching a final decision.
