The Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU) of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has challenged Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s assertion that officials of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) intentionally sabotaged the government’s digital revenue collection efforts.
During the Annual AGM of Anti-corruption Agencies in Africa on May 9, Dr. Bawumia alleged that certain IT unit staff at ECG introduced ransomware to disrupt the system, necessitating national security intervention.
However, PUWU issued a statement on Monday, May 13, refuting the Vice President’s claims as “inaccurate and misleading.” The Union expressed disappointment over the implication that ECG staff deliberately obstructed a project beneficial to the company and Ghana.
PUWU highlighted that in September 2022, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) initiated a forensic audit on the ECG Power App, involving third-party IT professionals. The Union emphasized that ECG IT staff were not solely responsible for the system’s security.
Regarding the ransomware attacks, PUWU clarified that the first incident occurred on September 28, 2022, and was reported to the Cyber Security Authority. Following this, the National Security assumed control of the ECG ICT system. Despite this, the most severe attack transpired on November 11, 2022, during National Security’s oversight.
“In the midst of the takeover, the second and most severe of the ransomware attacks occurred on the 11th November 2022, at the time the National Security personnel had both full physical access and software administrative rights to all ECG systems. The National Security arrested and detained some ECG ICT staff for days but were later released.”
PUWU emphasized that it was ECG ICT staff who spearheaded the system recovery efforts, with support from cybersecurity experts. Contrary to reports, the Union stated, “It is therefore factually inaccurate that National Security came in to recover the system, as reported by His Excellency the Vice President.”
