Kano DisCo moves to procure, distribute prepaid meters to all customers by 2022

Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), says it has concluded plans to invest in new distribution facilities in the coming operational year, as a way of scaling up the effectiveness of its service delivery in its franchise areas of Katsina, Kano and Jigawa States.

The company disclosed that a specific area of focus would be on bridging the metering gap, and ensuring that all its customers are metered before the year 2022. This is in addition to the deployment of SCADA and automatic Meter Infrastructure for real-time network management.

Jamil Isyaku Gwamna, Chief Executive Officer of the company, made this known in Kano, during a media interactive session held with journalists as part of the activities organized to mark the company`s seven years anniversary, noted that the new investment is expected to come on stream as the company implement the new electricity tariff.

He hinted that the company has been making a new investment in distribution outlay since it was acquired seven years ago, adding that the investment has resulted in the growth of its distribution capacity to 318,050KVA, as well as increasing 491.29 KM of distribution lines.

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“This has expanded KEDCO `s distribution capacity and its overall ability to deliver electricity efficiency and reliability to its customers. Business model restructuring from business unit to model to regional structure for enhanced coverage, energy accountability, reliability, and customer intimacy with regional offices operating as profit centres. This single stride has enhanced the basis for performance management and reward system.

“We have also deployed over 100,000 Prepaid Meters to all classes of customers free of charge. This was done to keep with the performance agreement signed with the BPE as well as provide a fair basis of energy accountability and billing. We have put in place a centralized Billing Database and Platform /Infrastructure for data accuracy which has provided the basis for operational integration and performance management. The Success of any electricity distribution company hinges on robust customer /billing database”, he explained.

Gwamna, who was represented at the occasion by Harish Sharma, chief operating officer of the company at the occasion revealed that through the recent investment made the management of the company had been able to integrate the Cash Offices and Customers Service Point of the company with the billing system thereby integrating all the payment channels of the company.

According to him, the initiative was embarked upon in order to create more convenient payment channels for all its customers across its franchise states.

“In addition, we have put in place ICT-department and internally designed software on the ONA platform and open street maps to enable Geo-Spatial customers enumeration, one of the key strategic objectives of KEDCO designed to strengthen customer intimacy with the company.

“It is also worthy of note to announce that we have aggressively reduced the ATC &C losses from the baseline of 68 percent to a record low of 32 percent which has resulted in a significant improvement in the collection and revenue. KEDCO `s aggressively invests in initiatives that will impact the ATC&C trajectory” the managing director further disclosed.

Commenting on the operational challenges which the company is grappling with, the CEO pointed out that it ranges from the issue of vandalization of distribution assets, energy theft, activities of unauthorized persons, Meter theft and destruction, and transmission difficulties.

He noted that the company will continue to invest in human capital development, as well as in the welfare of its workers, in addition to the provision of specialized training, and create a conducive working environment.

In the same vein, Gwamna stated that the management of the company will also intensify its community engagement, community advocacy, mobilization, sensitization and awareness about its services, and the need to safely guide it operational equipment.