Ethiopia’s Electric Retailer Unveils Digital Platform that Manages Palm Greasing Complaints

Ethiopia’s state-owned electricity retailer is revamping its operations under new management focused on tackling corruption and improved service delivery backed by a digital platform. Customers can file complaints through a mobile app, the Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) website and even a telegram chatbot under the refurbished format. Senior officials from EEU and its holding company the Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) outlined the new strategic direction of the Enterprise over the past week.

The new portal allows customers to file complaints using their phone numbers and email addresses, which are confirmed by a One-Time Password (OTP) sent by EEU. A list of 16 types of unethical practices is preselected as options for users anywhere in the country who want to file a complaint. These include requests for bribes by EEU staff, unprofessional conduct, discrimination and unnecessary red tape. If the complaint is accepted, action will be taken within a few days.

Brook Taye (PhD), CEO of EIH, acknowledged the presence of widespread complaints about the operations of EEU. He expects the creation of a digital platform which allows anonymous tips to be filed to enhance staff ethics and professional service delivery significantly.

“The platform is expected to create clarity and efficiency,” Brook said.

The CEO overseeing 40 state-owned enterprises underscored the importance of clear communication with clients to address grievances of customers and improve the EEU’s service quality.

EIH has also paved the way for the appointment of a new official to head the Electric retailer in the form of Getu Geremew (Eng), a few weeks back. Getu outlined plans to correct years of poor service delivery from Enterprise by enhancing the use of digital technologies.

While Ethiopia’s electric power generation capacities have wavered around 5200 MW for several years, access to the grid has been limited to just around 60% of the population. The EEU had a little over 4.3 million customers in 2023 with nearly 80% of them being postpaid across 13 regions. Ethiopia’s electricity supply chain has been primarily facilitated through the power purchase and distribution agreements between the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) and EEU following the split of the two over a decade back.

However, the lack of synergy between the two Institutions has occasionally given rise to instances of lost revenue and poor execution. Losses of around 1.2 billion Br in potential revenues from domestic power sales and nearly 1.1 million dollars in energy exports due to a lack of alignment between the two was uncovered in an audit report last year.