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Claim: Social media users claim that the National Democratic Congress intends to change all ECG meters when elected. They are backing their claim with a 30-second video featuring the party’s National Communications Director, Sammy Gyamfi.
Verdict: This is misleading. DUBAWA Ghana has analysed a longer version of the video and found that the planned change of ECG meters was related to businesses that will opt to enrol in the proposed 24-hour economy.
Full Text
A 30-second clip featuring the National Communications Director of the National Democratic Congress, Sammy Gyamfi, has gone viral on social media.
In the video, he elaborated on the party’s plan to introduce a time-of-use tariff system to offer businesses affordable electricity as part of their 24-hour economy policy.
He can be heard saying, “The meter will be time-of-use and will be calibrated to run 24 hours. Therefore, if it doesn’t work during the day but only at night, it will cut you out, and you wouldn’t benefit.”
He commented when he appeared as a guest on UTV’s United Showbiz on Saturday, November 30.
The clip being shared on social media has the writing,
“Sammy Gyamfi: under the 24-hour economy, John Mahama will change all meters.”
The captions of posts by social media users who share the clip promote the narrative that the NDC plans to change all electricity meters when elected into office.
Some of these posts can be found here, here, here, and here.
Did Sammy Gyamfi say they were going to change all meters when elected?
Verification
DUBAWA Ghana analysed the full interview of Sammy Gyamfi for a better understanding of the context within which he spoke. The full length of his comments about electricity tariffs and the 24-hour economy can be found between minutes 2:05:26 and 2:09:58.
Explaining the proposed time-of-use tariff system, Sammy Gyamfi said that the system’s meter will be “calibrated to run 24 hours,” hence, “if you use it only at night, it will cut you out.”
“The bottom line is, we are going to reduce taxes and electricity tariffs,” he added.
Amidst concerns about the high cost of power since introducing new meters, Sammy Gyamfi was asked if his party’s time-of-use tariff system will be run even with the existing meters.
He said, “No, it will be a different meter, and it is only for those who will be running the 24-hour economy and have signed onto the 24-hour economy because we want to reduce the cost of doing business so that they can scale up,” between minutes 2:09:40 and 2:09:58.
Conclusion
Although the NDC’s National Communications Officer discussed the party’s intention to change meters, he clarified that it was only for those who choose to enrol in the 24-hour economy.
