LIBERIA: Opinion Leaders To Join Anti-Power Theft Campaign.

As part of efforts to raise awareness on the danger of electricity theft, its negative impact on the economy as a whole and how it is undermining revenue generation, the LEC Public Affairs department and outreach team recently held a town hall meeting with members of the Excellent Sport and Intellectual Association (ESIA) on Carey Street.

LEC Assistant. Manager for Information Public Affairs, Winston Bedell thanked the ESIA leadership for the invitation and recounted the challenges being faced by the corporation in fulfilling its statutory mandate of providing affordable and reliable electricity.

Theft of electricity, Bedell said is undermining LEC’s ability to raise its lawful revenue and expand to more communities in a timely and orderly manner. He reiterated that 60 percent of electricity generated which amounts to US$35 Million annually is stolen by unscrupulous individuals.

Bedell urged members of ESIA to join the fight against electricity theft, [Power Theft]which is posing an existential threat to the economy.

“We have come today to dialogue with you; and I like to appeal to all members of this great forum and all well-meaning Liberians to join the LEC in combating power theft by naming and shaming individuals and communities involved in this act,” he said.

Public Affairs Manager, Mambu James Kpargoi informed the forum that the LEC with funding from donor partners is implementing several expansion projects, which will connect over 140,000 new customers to the national electricity grid over the next two to three years.

Kpargoi disclosed that during the course of this month, the LEC will be migrating to a new customer management software, the Integration Management System (IMS), which will revolutionize how LEC do business with its customers and the public.

The IMS, he explained, is a computerized system that will incorporate all aspects of the LEC business units, including customers’ recruitment to connection, procurement to contracting, employees’ management, and outage management, among several other functions.

“2019 is going to be an exciting year and a year of implementation. We have several projects ongoing that will connect over 140,000 new customers to the national electricity grid. The introduction of the Integrated Management System is also going to radically change the way we do business”. Kpargoi said.

The Chairman of the Excellent Sports and Intellectual Association, Smith Peters thanked the LEC for honoring their invitation to inform its members about developments in the electricity sector. He promised that his Center will work with the LEC to combat power theft, which he describe as a virus that is spreading across the LEC network.

“I can assure you that we are going to use our platform to help the LEC to fight power theft. We are aware of the crippling impact of power theft on our economy and all Liberians should join the LEC in combating this menace” he said.[Courtesy:Liberia Dispatch]