By Aminata Kuyateh
In a continued effort to raise the bar for customer service standards, the Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA) on Thursday organised a day-long customer care training and knowledge sharing session for 23-metre readers from Nawec and the Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (GCCPC).
The training, which took place at PURA’s headquarters, forms part of the Authority’s broader strategy to enhance consumer engagement and service delivery across regulated sectors.
In his opening remarks, Dr Njogu Bah emphasised Pura’s commitment to building the capacity of utility staff to ensure that customers receive respectful, timely, and efficient service.
“As regulators, we have a responsibility not only to set and enforce standards but to empower service providers to deliver their mandate with professionalism, compassion, and competence. That is why PURA places immense value on initiatives such as this customer care training. It is not just a routine exercise, it is a transformative investment in people, processes, and public trust,” DG Bah stated.
Dr Bah said the importance of ensuring excellence in customer care within public utility services, particularly in the provision of electricity and water cannot be overemphasised.
He said the trust test of a utility provider’s impact lies not only in the infrastructure they build or the volume of services they supply, but in how those services are delivered to the people who rely on them.
“It is in terms of the quality of human interaction, especially during moments of urgency or distress, that public confidence is either won or lost.”
Jamilatou Saidy Leigh, director of consumer affairs highlighted the importance of empowering metre readers to handle customer concerns professionally and efficiently.
“This engagement is not just a training, it is part of the directorate of consumer affairs’ broader strategy to build a culture of accountability, professionalism, and responsiveness in all the sectors we regulate,” she noted.
