COMMUNICATION BETWEEN UTILITY COMPANIES AND THEIR PUBLICS: A STUDY OF GHANA WATER COMPANY LIMITED

ABSTRACT

Potable water is an essential good which the United Nations regard as a human right that everyone must get access to. In many developing countries however, potable water is inadequate and so water is rationed. Research indicates that decisions regarding water utility services in developing countries can be controversial and may be received by publics with mixed feelings. Research further establishes that, if the management of a water utility company is able to communicate effectively with its varied customers, the misunderstandings that may arise could be reduced to the barest minimum.

In Ghana, Little scholarly research has investigated how utility companies communicate with their publics. This study therefore sought to evaluate the kind of communication that takes place between Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and two of its publics: the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and some domestic consumers in Tema and Nima in the Greater Accra Region.

The study used the dialogic theory of communication as a guide and employed qualitative methods—focus-group discussions and in-depth interviews, to collect data.

The research found that, although GWCL said they routinely communicate with their diverse publics, carefully crafting different messages and using a mix of media vehicles based on the nature of audience and information being conveyed, the PURC and the consumers did not share that verdict. To them, information from GWCL was often absent or at best delayed, but in any case, reactive, often on the prompting of the PURC. Tenets of the dialogic theory were largely absent in the communication between GWCL and the PURC as well as the customers.

The study then made practical recommendations which GWCL could use to improve its communication with its publics.