The Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA) has called upon the government to implement immediate measures to address the ongoing power crisis.
Vice President Joseph Paddy warned that a failure to roll out swift interventions will severely impact the business sector, with small and medium-scale enterprises bearing the brunt of the instability.
He further noted that the persistence of these outages will inevitably lead to widespread job losses.
Speaking on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Paddy explained that the power cuts have hit businesses that depend solely on electricity particularly hard.
He lamented that small-scale operators, such as barbers, tailors, and vendors, are reporting lower patronage alongside increased expenditure on fuel for generators, a combination that is drastically diminishing their income.
While the government, through the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), has apologised for the disruptions following a fire at the Akosombo GRIDCo substation, Mr Paddy argued that apologies are insufficient.
He stressed the necessity for the government to be proactive and establish viable alternative options to ensure energy security.
Mr Paddy observed that while the energy minister, ECG, and GRIDCo have all provided explanations for the current crisis, it remains the expectation of the trading community that these issues are resolved without further delay.
He questioned the long-term strategy, asking what “Plan B” the government has in place to deal with the situation without further compromising businesses.
He stated that while traders will give the government the benefit of the doubt for now, they must not be disappointed.
Joseph Paddy stressed that ‘dumsor’ represents a direct threat to jobs and business capital.
He added that the authorities must not allow the current situation to be prolonged, as it will ultimately damage the local economy and disrupt national life.
