Electricity Company of Ghana directs all stations to buy only made in Ghana electrical cables

The Managing Director of ECG, Kwame Agyeman-Budu said this has been a standing policy which has however been overlooked as purchases were made outside Ghana, particularly China.

Mr Agyeman-Budu was speaking after reactivating the policy. He said the policy is to help create more jobs in Ghana and also encourage local producers to manufacture more.

“The idea is to fulfill the local content policy of the country. We also want to make sure that the local companies have the capacity to supply ECG.”

“When we buy from the local producers, we also help create jobs and empower our own local companies,” he stressed.

Mr Agyeman-Budu said this after visiting the premises of Tropical Cable and Conductor Ltd.

He said that ECG has realised in the past years that some local manufacturers have started importing cables into the country thereby defeating the purpose of the local content policy.

Mr Agyeman-Budu admitted that even though ECG in the past imported majority of its cables, they have realised the need to gradually outsource from local producers.

He explained that cables produced in Ghana meet the international standards; and so there is no need to import cables into the country.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Tropical Cables and Conductor Limited, Dr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, said sourcing electrical cables locally will help to create jobs.

“We have the capacity to produce for ECG. There is a lot of idle capacity,” he said, adding that “if we are giving the opportunity, we can employ more engineers and create more jobs.”