The Kejetia Market, has been disconnected from the power grid by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for their failure to pay outstanding debts of over GH¢7 million.
The power cut, which took effect on Monday, August 12, comes after numerous warnings to settle the arrears.
Despite a previous agreement to clear the debt, ECG claims the market has defaulted on the payment plan, leading to the disconnection.
In April 2024, the kejetia market experienced a similar power outage, which was restored after management assured commitment to paying the debt.
A payment plan was drawn up, but ECG insists the market has failed to adhere to it.
The managing director, Edmond Kofi Duffuor, claims they have shown commitment to paying the debt, but ECG remains unsatisfied.
He said, “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.”
According to Asaase radio, Benjamin Obeng Antwi, an ECG spokesperson in the Ashanti West Region, said the market management has defaulted on payments for the months, and despite several attempts to engage with the kejetia market management and provide ample time for repayment, the company’s efforts were unsuccessful.”
“It was only last Friday that they came to pay GHC400,000, but they should have cleared their arrears by 25th July before starting to service their July bills,” Antwi explained.
Traders at the Kejetia market are, however, calling on the Local Government Ministry to intervene and address the electricity supply issue to ensure the market’s smooth operation.
However this is not the first time this unfortunate situation has happened. In April this year, the market was disconnected for about a week and just like now, they had to rely on generators, which management of the market deem unsustainable.
