NORTHERN ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION COMPANY
Company Overview
The Northern Electricity Department (NED) of the Volta River Authority (VRA) was established in 1987 to distribute electricity in the Brong-Ahafo, Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions of Ghana (per the then regional arrangement) as part of VRA’s 161kV transmission grid extension to the northern parts of Ghana. In June 1994, the Government of Ghana (GoG) initiated the Power Sector Reform (PSR) programme aimed at bringing efficiency and managerial effectiveness in the Energy Sector in order to improve service delivery to all consumers. In pursuit of the PSR, VRA Management, in 1997, registered the Northern Electricity Distribution Company Limited (NEDCo) as a wholly owned VRA subsidiary, with a Board of Directors, to take over the operations of NED. In May 2012, VRA Management operationalized NEDCo as a wholly owned subsidiary.
NEDCo’s current operations extend to the northern parts of Volta (now, Oti), Ashanti and Western (now Western North) regions as shown on the map. Although NEDCo’s operations cover about 64% of the geographical area of Ghana, the customer density of the operating area is low with access to electricity in the NEDCo operational area put at about 68% as at June, 2023 as against about 88.85% for the whole country. The Ghana Government, in line with its vision of making electricity available to at least, 90% of the population by December, 2024, has undertaken power extension over the years to new towns and communities that were hitherto not served by NEDCo. Customer population has, therefore, grown at an average rate of about 13% per annum from less than 20,000 in 1987 to 1,202,540 by December, 2023.
NEDCo MANDATE / PURPOSE
Our Vision
To become the leading power distributor in the West African sub-region.
Our Mission
We supply quality and reliable electricity to create opportunities for socio-economic development in northern Ghana and beyond in a safe, sustainable and commercially viable manner.
Tagline
NEDCo; Your Source of Safe and Reliable Electricity Supply!
WHO WE ARE
A Brief history of the Company
The Northern Electricity Department (NED) of the Volta River Authority (VRA) was
1987
Established in 1987 to distribute electricity in the then Brong-Ahafo, Northern, Upper East and West Regions of Ghana as part of VRA’s 161kV transmission grid extension to the northern parts of Ghana
1994
In June 1994, the Government initiated the Power Sector Reform programme aimed at bringing efficiency and managerial effectiveness in the Energy Sector in order to improve service delivery to all consumers.
2012
In May 2012, VRA Management operationalized NEDCo as a wholly-owned subsidiary.
NEDCo's current operations extend to the northern parts of Oti, Ashanti and Western North regions
2019
Customer population has, therefore, grown at an average rate of about 13% plus per annum from less than 20,000 in 1987 to 888,023 by March, 2019. Now, NEDCo's customer population is more than 1 million.
Customer Analysis
NEDCo began its operations in 1987 with a customer population of 17,940 and the numbers have grown steadily over the years and as at December, 2023, the customer population stood at 1,202,540. Residential customers constitute 83.77% of the total customers; Non-Residential customers constitute 16.23% while the Special Load Tariff (SLT) customers constitute a paltry 0.01%.
Energy consumption has also grown from as low as an annual 60.03GWh in 1990 to 1,130 GWh of consumption (billed energy) for 2023 (January to December). Over the same period, aside losses and street lighting, the 83.77% of the NEDCo customers who are in the residential category consumed about 64.95% of the total billed energy of 1,130 GWh but only contributed about 57.45% to NEDCo’s total revenue. The Non-Residential customers constituting a paltry 16.23% of the total customer population, consumed 26.88% of the total NEDCo billed energy but contributed 33.52% to NEDCo’s total revenue whilst the SLT customers (0.01%) accounted for 8.17% of the total billed energy and contributed 9.03% to NEDCo’s total revenue.
NEDCo, therefore, finds itself in a situation where the bulk of its customers are residential and in the “subsidized” category, i.e. paying tariffs below NEDCo’s average operating cost per unit.
Corporate Core Values
The Corporate Core Values are crafted in the acronym “TACTICS”
– We are dependable and of good character.
– We take responsibility for our actions and results.
– We are determined to get the job done completely and with consistency.
– We work together to achieve results.
– We conduct ourselves with honesty and consistency (We walk the talk).
– We serve our customers with courtesy and respect.
– We strive for the safety of our staff and customers as well as our assets and those of our customers.