The Ashanti West unit of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is intensifying efforts to clamp down on the growing cases of electricity installation theft and vandalism in the Ashanti Region following a renewed collaboration with the Police Service.
The power distribution company has in recent years battled the activities of unscrupulous individuals who steal and destroy expensive ECG equipment, including transformers, cables, conductors and meters.
At a meeting with the leadership of the Police Command in the region, the General Manager of ECG–Ashanti West, Ing. George Amoah, recounted several incidents of such illegal activities.
“Lately, some individuals have been destroying our transformers, stealing cables and conductors and even meters, which often leads to outages,” he said.
Ing. Amoah further recalled an instance where some unknown persons, under the guise of being workers of the company, drove into an ECG network and destroyed several electricity poles and transformers.
He noted that such incidents were recorded at Nwamase, Buoho, Daban and Drobonso, resulting in prolonged hours of power outages in those communities.
“Some individuals also visit ECG transformers or other installations and pretend to be ECG workers to steal fuses and cables, with recent cases observed at Adoato, Adum Central Business District and Ahodwo,” he revealed.
According to him, some drivers have also been found veering off the road into ECG networks, destroying poles, transformers and other installations.
Ing. Amoah bemoaned the cost implications of these illegal activities on the operations of the company, noting that ECG has to spend significant funds to replace stolen or damaged equipment.
The company is also alarmed by the increasing importation of fake meters from neighbouring countries, which are illegally installed within the ECG network and result in revenue losses.
“These meters are illegal and we call on you to be on the lookout for stolen and fake meters at your checkpoints,” Ing. Amoah noted.
He added that ECG will intensify monitoring activities, especially at night, to clamp down on illegal connections in 2026 and would require police assistance in some areas to ensure successful operations.
The meeting, held on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, discussed strategies to protect ECG installations while strengthening the existing relationship between the two institutions.
Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Arthur Osei Akoto, noted that electricity has important security implications, adding that disruptions to ECG operations could jeopardise the safety and security of citizens.
DCOP Osei Akoto endorsed the need to protect all ECG installations to reduce vandalism and related crimes.
He warned that individuals found culpable of stealing or vandalising ECG equipment would be arrested and prosecuted.
DCOP Osei Akoto therefore pledged the Police Service’s support in safeguarding electrical installations to ensure stable power supply, which he said could also help reduce security threats.
“The Police is often perceived to be in charge of violent crimes, but the security of citizens is paramount, so there is the need to ensure people are safe and crime is prevented,” he noted.
The command welcomed the renewed partnership with ECG and expressed the need to deepen relations to better serve the region and, by extension, Ghana.
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