Only 36% of Businesses Describe Electricity as Very or Mostly Reliable — KPMG/UNDP Survey

Just 36 per cent of Ghanaian businesses consider the country’s electricity supply to be very or mostly reliable, according to a new KPMG and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) survey that paints a stark picture of how power instability and billing disputes are constraining production and cash-flow planning across the private sector.

The 2027 Pre-Budget Survey, titled From Stability to Shared Prosperity, found that 47 per cent of businesses experience occasional interruptions, while a further 17 per cent reported frequent or severe problems—meaning 64 per cent face some level of disruption . Affordable and predictable tariffs were the top energy priority for 44 per cent of respondents .

Billing Disputes and Metering Failures

Focus-group participants identified billing disputes and power interruptions as operational constraints affecting production and cash-flow planning. They called for better metering, improved distribution performance and transparent service standards as essential for reliable production .

The report was blunt about the limits of tariff policy: “A tariff hold can provide stability but cannot substitute for operational improvement. ECG distribution reform should address billing accuracy, technical and commercial losses and a transparent treatment of public-service obligations” .

It urged the government and sector institutions to prioritise feeder-level reliability, meter accuracy, complaint resolution and the disclosure of service-quality performance in productive areas .

IMF Pressure on ECG Audit

The survey pointed to the International Monetary Fund’s November review, which highlighted the importance of completing the delayed audit of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) collection accounts. The IMF’s first review under Ghana’s Policy Coordination Instrument, concluded on November 4, listed publication of that audit among eight outstanding reform priorities .

The report added that any extended-hours tariff arrangement must be evaluated against cost recovery and actual electricity demand .

A Broader Pattern of Concern

The findings are consistent with earlier KPMG/UNDP research. The 2026 Pre-Budget Survey, released a year earlier, similarly flagged unreliable energy supply as a top constraint on business competitiveness, with respondents citing frequent tariff adjustments, power disruptions and high utility costs as key risks .

The government has acknowledged the distribution challenges. In April 2026, the Energy Ministry announced an 18-month, GH¢4 billion intervention programme to address persistent faults, including transformer replacement, pole rehabilitation, and new distribution links . ECG’s own management has pointed to overloaded networks and transmission limitations as root causes, particularly in Kumasi and the Volta Region .

Survey Demographics

Seventy-five per cent of respondents were male, while 66.1 per cent reside in the Greater Accra region . The survey drew on an online sample of businesses and professionals conducted between October 12 and November 4, 2026, alongside focus groups in Ketu South and Kumasi .

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Reporter’s note: The survey was conducted jointly by KPMG Ghana and UNDP ahead of the 2027 Budget presentation on November 12, 2026. The 36 per cent reliability figure reflects respondents who described supply as “very or mostly reliable.” The IMF audit requirement refers to ECG’s collection accounts, a separate issue from the distribution reliability concerns raised by businesses.