Most businesses in Ghana have turned their shops, offices and production centres into sleeping places due to the ongoing power crisis, which has crippled the Ghanaian economy.
But in the face of all these challenges, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Ebo Barton Odro still has the temerity to tell these entrepreneurs that if they can not manage their businesses, they should not blame it on the current Energy crisis.
Speaking in an interview with Citi FM, an Accra based private radio station, Ebo Barton Odro rejected claims by some business operators that they are folding up because of the power crisis in the country.
According to him, there is the need for these companies to assess themselves to ensure they are doing the right things so that they do not fold-up prematurely.
Some business owners who spoke to The Chronicle over the comment reportedly made by Mr. Odro said it was in bad taste and asked him to apologize.
The owner of AC Mart at Tesano, Mrs. Lydia Boakye, who deals in provisions, said the power crisis, popularly known as ‘dumso’ is hitting hard on her business.
She added: “I am now operating at a loss because they don’t buy my minerals and other dairy products which usually go bad”.
Mrs. Lydia, like many businesses stated that; “if this power crisis continues, we will have no option than to close our businesses and sit at home”.
The shortfall in electricity supply is being attributed to the drastic reduction of water in the Akosombo Dam reservoir.
In addition to the erratic supply of gas from the West African Gas Pipeline to power the thermal plants in the Tema enclave and Aboadze in the Western Region.
Workers at a block factory at Tesano Total Filling station were seen relaxing under tree thinking about their future. One of them told The Chronicle: “We came here to work with our block laying machine but because of the load shedding management being embarked upon by the ECG, we can’t work”.
The owner of Queen’s Corner Bar and Restaurant, also at Tesano, Mrs. Hannah Abeiku pointed to three fridge motors, television and sound system damaged by the fluctuation of electricity. “I always come and sleep and go home due to the loading management. It has really damaged the market these days. To be honest with you, things are getting out of hand.
“The power crisis is very terrible. Sometimes in a week there is no work but we have to pay for the rent of this small shop. Also, at least we spend GHc100 on fuel to power our small Yamaha generator, but sometimes we don’t make sales”, a furious Mike Kumi, the owner of Mik Focus, a production studio lamented.
The government keeps telling us different stories, because of that we don’t know what is causing the power crisis, he added.
Another worried consumer, Esther Gador, who owns the Estee Beauty Salon, said it is disappointing to come to work every day without power to work, saying: “The ECG and government should wake up from their slumber”.
It is not only the above Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) which are suffering, but large enterprises are also feeling the heat of the power crisis, with some of them threatening to relocate to other countries if the situation remains the same.
Recently, the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) said most of their members are laying off staff because of the precarious power crisis, which energy experts describe as the worst in the annals of the country.
The Executive Director of the association, Seth Twum-Akwaboah told Citi FM, an Accra based radio station that; “we got alarmed that industry is now being included in the load shedding. It was discussed with us so it is not something new to us and it is something that we have no choice than to cope with.
“We appreciate that the water level of the Akosombo Dam is not so good and there is a reason why we are having all these challenges.
“But the point is that the assurance was given that some barges would be added so that we could have a lot more energy supply, not necessarily from the dam but from Thermal plants and other sources to augment what we have now, to reduce the pressure on the dam and also ensure that at least we have some reasonable level of supply.
Mr. Twum-Akwaboah added that they expected to see signs of the implementation “in the first quarter. What time in the first quarter, I don’t know but that is something we all need to follow up and be sure that eventually it happens.”
The first Vice President of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Prosper Adabla also told Citi FM that; “we cannot predict what will happen in mid-year if the energy crisis is not resolved. It is bad for business because our companies are collapsing and they will keep on collapsing until the situation is resolved.”
Meanwhile at press time last night, citifmonline.com was quoting Ms. Kate Addo, Deputy Director of Public Affairs of Parliament as saying that Mr. Odro’s statement that businesses should not blame the current power crisis for killing their businesses, did not mean he does not recognize ‘dumso’ as a problem.
“He recognizes the difficulties of the power crisis but was also urging businesses to consider the other factors when looking at and assessing the viability of their businesses.”
She told citifmonline.com that “the plan was not to downplay the effect of the dumso but to also draw attention to other factors.” The Chronicle
