The Electricity Company of Ghana(ECG) has disconnected Kumasi City Market, also known as the New Kejetia Market from the power grid due to outstanding arrears of over GH¢7 million.
Despite a previous agreement to clear the debt, ECG claims that the market has defaulted on the payment plan, leading to disconnection.
It will be recalled that in April this year, the market experienced a similar power outage, which was restored after management assured commitment to paying the debt.
A payment plan was formulated, but ECG insists that the market has failed to comply with it.
The market’s management, led by Managing Director Edmond Kofi Duffuor, claims they have shown commitment to paying 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 are committed? I’m not paying any other service provider any money. No other person is receiving money from Kejetia Market apart from ECG.
He added, “Buying diesel is so expensive, we are now depending on a generator”.
The traders are urging the Local Government Ministry to step in and resolve the electricity supply problem to ensure the market operates smoothly.
The market is currently relying on generators, a situation that the management considers to be unsustainable.
