The Electricity Company of Ghana(ECG) has disconnected power supply to the Kumasi City Market, also known as the New Kejetia Market due to an outstanding debt of over GH¢7 million.
The disconnection follows the market’s failure to adhere to a payment plan that was previously agreed upon with ECG.
This development marks the second time this year that the market has been cut off from the national grid due to unpaid arrears.
In April, the market experienced a similar outage, which was resolved after the management committed to clearing the debt.
According to ECG, despite assurances from the market’s management to settle arrears, payments have not been made as promised.
However, the market’s management, led by Managing Director Edmond Kofi Duffuor, claims they have made efforts to reduce the debt, but ECG remains unsatisfied.
“From a total of 9.7 million Ghana cedis as of June, we have paid about 1.7 million Ghana cedis…So why should we be in darkness, when we have shown commitment? I’m not paying any other service provider any money. No other person is receiving money from Kejetia Market apart from ECG.
Without a reliable power supply, the market is currently operating on generators, which Mr Duffuor described as an expensive and unsustainable alternative.
The traders are urging the Local Government Ministry to intervene and resolve the electricity supply problem to ensure the market operates smoothly.