The Kejetia Market in the Ashanti region is facing a second disconnection from the national power grid due to a GH¢70 million debt owed to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Since the disconnection occurred a week ago, the market has been relying on an alternative power plant for electricity.
Traders and customers have expressed concerns about the negative impact of the power outage on market operations.
A trader stated, ‘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.’
Customers also raised safety and comfort issues, with one person saying, ‘The situation is making us scared because when the lights are off, some criminal elements will take advantage, and the heat is also unbearable.’
Nana Akwasi Prempeh, President of the Federation of Kumasi Traders, highlighted challenges with navigating the market in the dark, affecting both comfort and perceptions of security.
He explained, ‘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.”
Prempeh mentioned that the market’s management has resorted to using a power plant as an alternative source, but it comes with higher costs and technical issues that make the power supply unsustainable.
He said, ‘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-citinewsroom
