For the second time, the Kejetia Market in the Ashanti region finds itself disconnected from the national power grid due to a GH¢70 million debt owed to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Since the disconnection occurred about a week ago, the market has been dependent on an alternative power plant as its energy source.
Traders and customers have expressed the negative impact of the power outage on the market’s operations. One trader said, “Power has been disconnected to this facility, and the market is slow because people are not here to buy anything. We were here on Saturday and Friday and couldn’t make any sales. When the lights come on for some time, it goes off again because we rely on the generator set. It has been difficult for us.”
A customer also highlighted concerns about safety and comfort, stating, “The situation is making us scared because when the lights are off, some criminal elements will take advantage, and the heat is also unbearable.”
The President of the Federation of Kumasi Traders, Nana Akwasi Prempeh, explained that the structure of the market makes it challenging for customers to navigate in the dark, affecting both their comfort and perception of the market’s security.
“The structure of the market any time the light goes off takes about 30–50 minutes, people who enter into the market to buy our things complain. Some feel the place is too dark, some feel the place isn’t secure, others also feel that they cannot get the right things, and they cannot identify the exact commodity that they want to buy. So they don’t feel comfortable entering our market to buy something. In the long run, it affects us the traders.”
He added that the market’s management has had to resort to using a power plant as an alternative source, but it comes at a higher cost and with technical issues that make the power supply unsustainable.
“Currently, the management engaged the leadership of the traders’ union that we cannot let the market be in darkness, so we had to rely on the plant. But it is also coming at a higher cost. Every six hours, we have to use four and a half barrels of diesel.”
Source: Hafiz Tijani