Ghana Water Company Targets Revenue Boost by Bringing 188,000 Unbilled Customers into System

Ghana Water Limited (GWL) is facing a substantial revenue challenge, with Managing Director Adam Mutawakilu revealing that more than 38,000 commercial customers and 150,000 residential customers are currently not being billed by the utility company. The disclosure, made before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, underscores a critical gap in the company's billing infrastructure that is undermining its path to financial independence.

The unbilled customers represent a significant portion of GWL's customer base. Of approximately 73,000 commercial customers in the system, only 34,000 are actively billed, leaving 38,800 commercial customers contributing nothing to the company's revenue. This means over half of commercial customers are currently generating zero income for the water utility, a situation that Mutawakilu described as a major revenue opportunity waiting to be tapped.

The Revenue Recovery Strategy

GWL is pursuing an ambitious financial recovery plan with a target of achieving 120 per cent revenue growth by June next year. Central to this strategy is the systematic capture and metering of all unbilled customers. The company has already begun metering commercial customers, with 521 successfully metered so far, though the exercise remains ongoing across the customer base.

Mutawakilu emphasised that ensuring every customer is properly metered and pays the appropriate water bill represents a major addition to the company's revenue stream. The management believes that by capturing the unbilled customers—particularly the large pool of 150,000 residential customers—alongside improved customer identification and billing systems, the company can significantly strengthen its financial position. This financial recovery effort is part of a broader mandate to achieve self-sufficiency by June 2027, reducing GWL's dependence on government subventions.

Why This Matters for Ghana

Ghana Water Company's financial difficulties have direct implications for millions of Ghanaians. A financially weakened utility struggles to maintain and expand water infrastructure, leading to service quality issues such as irregular supply, water rationing, and inability to invest in new systems to reach underserved communities. Many Ghanaians in urban and peri-urban areas experience frequent water outages, a problem directly linked to the company's operational constraints.

The presence of such a large pool of unbilled customers—nearly a quarter-million people—raises questions about how these customers are accessing water without payment. Some may be informal settlements or areas where metering infrastructure is lacking; others may be customers deliberately evading payment. Understanding the root causes is essential for implementing targeted solutions rather than generic billing campaigns that might penalise vulnerable populations.

The recovery plan's success will depend on several factors: the company's capacity to install metres across all customer categories, particularly in poorer residential areas where metering infrastructure may be sparse; the ability to enforce billing among customers accustomed to unbilled water access; and ensuring that tariff increases accompanying the billing expansion do not price out low-income households from accessing clean water.

For policymakers and citizens, this situation highlights the importance of utility company efficiency and cost recovery in ensuring sustainable water provision. Water security is critical to Ghana's development agenda, affecting health outcomes, economic productivity, and social stability. A financially stable GWL is therefore essential not just for the company itself, but for the nation's ability to deliver one of its most basic services.