Kumasi Kejetia Market faces power cut over unpaid electricity bills

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has disconnected power supply to the Kumasi Kejetia Market in the Ashanti region's Kumasi Metropolis due to outstanding electricity bills.

The market's management, grappling with a hefty accumulated bill of GHS7,175,000, has resorted to generator power, costing GHS20,000 daily, as traders struggle to foot their dues.

The bustling Kumasi Kejetia Market, a hub of commercial activity in the Ashanti region, faced a significant setback on Friday, April 12, 2024, as the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) disconnected its power supply due to unpaid bills.

Management of the market disclosed to Kumasi FM's Elisha Adarkwah that the market, housing 7,203 lockable shops, had amassed a substantial debt of GHS7,175,000 to the ECG.

Consequently, the Operations Manager, Nana Opoku Amankwah, revealed that the market now relies on generators, incurring a daily expense of GHS20,000 to maintain intermittent lighting.

The root cause of the unpaid bills, according to Nana Opoku Amankwah, lies in the traders' inability to settle their dues, forcing the market's management to bear the burden.

The market, connected to a single meter, has prompted repeated protests from traders demanding individual meters to address exorbitant bills.

In response to these concerns, the market's Board and management have committed to installing individual meters for traders, priced at GHS2,895 and GHS3,900, depending on the type of meter preferred by each trader.

While some traders have fulfilled payment obligations, installation remains pending for others yet to settle their dues.

Nana Amankwah emphasised that the installation of individual meters holds the promise of alleviating power supply disruptions to the market, offering a potential solution to the ongoing predicament