GhanaWeb has learned that certain Ghanaians have been forced to remain in the dark for the past three days in several areas of the capital, Accra, due to the lack of prepaid energy.

Consumers who are trapped claim that their actions have been twisted by the "unplanned blackout" brought on by the lack of credit.

They also mentioned how some of them, whose businesses directly rely on energy, had suffered significantly as a result of the three days of power outages that have occurred since September 27, 2022.

However, they want the services to be finished as quickly as possible.

According to the prepaid retailers, this has been due to some network challenges from the Electricity Company of Ghana.

A customer at Labadi, Adwoa Okyere who spoke to GhanaWeb on September 30 said: “I’ve been coming here to look for credit to buy since Tuesday. Every day they keep saying, the network is not working. We have called the ECG severally but nothing has been done.”

Akosua Kumah also lamented how this has affected her activities.

“The foods in my fridge are going bad, I have the money here with me so why can’t I get credit to buy? This is bad. They really have to attend to the situation as soon as possible,” she said.

However, the officials at the ECG told retailers the situation is being worked on.

The Public Utility Regulatory Commission(PURC) has assured customers that the commission is working closely with the Electricity Company of Ghana(ECG) to resolve utility service struggles.

The ECG announced on Thursday, September 29, 2022, that it is facing a technical challenge that has affected its prepaid metering systems. The electricity service provider said the challenge has interrupted the purchase of electricity credit.

The PURC, in a statement also issued on Thursday, said that the commission has noticed the concerns raised regarding vending problems and promised to work with the ECG to find a quick resolution to the matter.

"The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission(PURC) has noticed with concern, challenges experienced in vending, by consumers on ECash and PNS Metering Systems of the Electricity Company of Ghana(ECG). The Commission is closely monitoring the situation and in full discussions with the service provider to address the issues," the statement read.