By Yunus S Saliu
Commencing the 3rd edition of the PURA Bantaba Outreach Program under the theme ‘Consumers Right to Safety, Security and Privacy in The Digital Era,’ the management has expressed that Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) intention and hope is to build on previous results and successes from the previous Bantaba Outreach Programmes.
The PURA Managing Director, Ansumana Sanneh, explained that Bantaba Outreach Programmes is an event that presents opportunity for dialogue between general public and their service providers since it was launched nine years ago. He added that the program is still ongoing because of the benefits and results it has yielded for rural communities.
The Managing Director stated that it is inherent on service providers to provide consumers with the necessary information, advice and recommendations in line with their needs.
Talking on PURA experiences with the sectors it regulates, he said, more often than not, operating companies are not too keen to provide adequate information about their products and service to consumers. Thus, he said, “it becomes PURA’s responsibility to equip consumers with the right information to be able to shop around and enable them to obtain comparative information on products and services.”
In order to bridge this gap, and pursuant to their mandate to inform, educate and protect consumers, he said PURA through the consumer affairs directorate devotes significant time and resources to consumer information and education. And it is in this spirit PURA created the Bantaba Outreach Program which also compliments PURA’s 148 free consumer helpline.
Ansumana Sanneh pointed out among other importance that Bantaba Outreach Programme has enable awareness creation about rights of the consumer and the obligations of the service providers in the resolution of their problems and concerns.
Meanwhile, he thanked the service providers for answering to PURA’s call to face their consumers and listen to their needs.
In his remarks Alieu Ngum, Chairman BoD of PURA stated that consumers will be provided with information, education and the confidence they need to get the best deal they can from the market place as Regulation promises to encourage fair and affordable prices through competition whilst helping to grow the benefit of all regulated sectors.
He stated further that the regulated sectors as part of their universal service obligations continue to make inroads in providing services to communities beyond urban and ‘economically viable’ areas. Thereofore, he said, the Bantaba Outreach Program is used as instrument of not only informing and educating consumers about their rights and responsible but it also provides a platform for consumers living in the remote areas meet their service providers with their concerns.
