GWCL To Digitize New Service Connection With An App
The GWCL app, which this reporter has established, offers customers the opportunity to report all complaints and monitor their progress, allows customers to make payments at their convenience, and allows customers to generate their bills including statements in their comfort zones.
Ing. Dr. Clifford Abdallah Brimah, the Managing Director(MD) of Ghana Water Company Limited(GWCL), has disclosed that plans are underway to digitize its new service connection processes to ensure that with the use of a mobile app customers can apply for new service connection at their convenience and monitor its progress.
GWCL, he says, had also introduced a customer app to enhance customer interactions.
The GWCL app, which this reporter has established, offers customers the opportunity to report all complaints and monitor their progress, allows customers to make payments at their convenience, and allows customers to generate their bills including statements in their comfort zones.
The MD of GWCL revealed that the electronic payment transactions which started in 2017 with an amount of Ghc 1.7 million rose to Ghc 13.2 million in 2018 and increased astronomically to Ghc 64.3 million (387.5%) in 2021.
Speaking at a ceremony dubbed “Accounting To Our Customers” Media Engagement and Exhibition in Accra, he said, currently, monthly average revenues realised from electronic payment stood at Ghc 9.3 million and is expected to rise to Ghc11.1 million by the end of 2022.
As of the 2nd quarter of 2022, Dr. Brimah said, revenues from electronic payment constituted 10.4% of GWCL’s total collections from water bill payments.
He adds that it is pertinent to note that, payment of water bills using any of its electronic payment platforms does not attract Electronic Levy (E-Levy).
The MD of GWCL said it is therefore expected that, in the long run, this payment option will become the most preferred by customers.
Capitalnewsonline.com has established that currently, GWCL has over 860,000 customers constituting private and government customers.
This figure represents a 37.2 % increase compared to the customer strength of 639,322 as of the end of 2017. On average, 5,320 customers are added to the customer base every month.
Currently, 90.3% of GWCL customers had been meted, representing a 12.6% increase over that the 77.7% figure for 2017. There are 101 districts across the regions.
With regards to water sales, a total volume of 172.2 m3 was sold in the year 2021. This is 22.8% above the volume of water sold during the year 2017(140.6 million m3).
When it comes to billing, total water revenue for the year 2017 was Ghc 887.1million and increased to Ghc 1.2 billion in 2021 representing a 36.3% rise over the 2017 figure.
On revenue collections, total collection for 2017 and 2021 were Ghc 669.5 million and Ghc 902.2 million respectively. This represents a 34.8% increase above the collections realized in 2017.
GWCL has been a driving force in the water utility sector in Africa and strives amidst a myriad of challenges through determination and a sense of purpose to fulfill its national mandate to the citizenry.
With a staff strength of 5,280 nationwide, GWCL has enjoyed a peaceful working environment, devoid of industrial unrest from 2017 to date.
This can be attributed to prompt response to the needs of staff and proactive engagement with the Staff and Unions leadership.
The peaceful work environment GWCL is currently enjoying has sustained the company’s operations and commercial drive.
Source: capitalnewsonline.com
