ECG restores power supply to Nuaso Old Town after five months’ outage

Correspondence from the Eastern Region

There’s relief and businesses are gradually picking up as the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) restores electricity supply to residents of Nuaso in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region after nearly five months of light out.

The residents had over the months lamented over the lack of electricity in the community after a joint team of ECG and military personnel disconnected the community on August 22, three days after power was restored to the Krobo area after a month of total outage over the installation of prepaid meters.

A clash between soldiers and some agitated residents during the disconnection led to eight residents sustaining gunshot wounds.

The affected customers bemoaned that the situation was hindering economic, social and domestic activities in the community.

Several engagements involving the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area, Simon Kwaku Tetteh, the National Security Ministry, the Energy Ministry, the Assemblyman for the area, Hon Samuel Torgbor, management of the ECG and some prominent personalities in the community were held towards restoring power to the area.

Currently, prepaid meters are being installed in various households in the community without any agitations in the final phase of the month-long controversial exercise in the Krobo area.

Some residents who spoke with GhanaWeb in an interview expressed relief at the restoration of the power supply to the neighbourhood.

They however lamented that their sources of livelihood were affected with many of them thrown out of business.

A hairdresser, Tettey Mercy Angmorkie said, “The light out affected our businesses but we are happy to power has been restored. We could not work because we rely on power for our work so we ended up sitting down without working.”

Another, Bernice Asimeh, a cold store operator said she was forced to close down her shop and only resumed work following the restoration of power to the community. “It affected us because I use the fridge to freeze my drinks so when we were in the dark it affected me so much.”

Bernice who said she initially opposed the prepaid meters said though she still prefers the postpaid meters, she was nevertheless ready to accept the new meters now. “We have nothing to say, we’re just there so when they bring it we’ll accept it,” she expressed.

According to her, she has lost many of her customers as a result and it would take her a long time to get them back.

A manager of a car washing bay, Francis Asimeh said all the 25 employees who worked at the facility before the outage became unemployed, forcing them to join other nearby washing bays to enable them to make ends meet.

He said though they were making sales of between Ghc150 and Ghc200 a day before the outage, they’re unable to make as many sales now as they notify their customers to return to their base for business.

The respondents however expressed their preparedness to accept the prepaid meters currently being rolled out in the community but called for further sensitization from the power distributors.

Assemblymember for Nuaso Old Town, Samuel Torgbor said the people were happy that power supply had been restored to the area and blamed the lack of understanding for the unfortunate incident.

On her part, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Tema Region, Miss Sakyiwaa Mensah said the company’s decision to restore power to the area followed an agreement reached from engagements with various stakeholders to safeguard ECG interests in the area.

“There had been ongoing discussions with various stakeholders, aimed at restoring power, safeguarding ECG property and ensuring that work can be carried out in a safe environment. The restoration is part of the consensus reached from these stakeholder engagements with chiefs, opinion leaders and management of ECG,” she said.

She furthered that the meter installation exercise has been completed at Nuaso New Town and currently progressing smoothly at Nuaso Old Town. “It has been smooth so far. ECG is appreciative of the cordial working environment which has enabled work to go on smoothly,” noted the PRO.