An Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) survey has unveiled that businesses and households in the Greater Accra region face power interruptions exceeding seven hours at least four times per week, on average.
Conducted between May 6, 2024, and May 12, 2024, among 82 Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and 83 households, the study highlighted that approximately 94 percent of participants encountered varying degrees of power disruptions, ranging from one to over seven occurrences per week.
Overall, findings indicate that 75.4 percent of respondents dealt with power outages at least three times weekly, with around 19 percent reporting seven or more instances.
Regarding outage durations, the survey revealed that about 57 percent of respondents endured power interruptions lasting seven hours or more, while merely 12 percent indicated durations of three hours or less.
“These figures show significant outages across the Greater Accra Region, even after the president declared ‘dumsor’ was over,” the report stated.
The survey also revealed that around 89 percent of households and 58.5 percent of SMEs lacked access to any backup power, resulting in revenue losses due to unproductivity and damage to goods and appliances, impacting about 61.5 percent of households and 70.7 percent of businesses.
Mr. Samuel Manu, Head of the Survey Centre at IEA, noted during a press briefing in Accra that the absence of alternative power sources left most businesses and households in Accra dependent on the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the country’s energy sector managers.
“Cutting people off the electricity supply is bad, but not informing them in advance before doing so worsens their situation,” he said. “An overwhelming 95 percent of respondents indicated that they do not receive any form of communication on the time and reason for power outages.”
“To add insult to injury, the authorities are in denial of the situation and have refused to inform citizens in advance before cutting the electricity supply. This makes it difficult for businesses and households to plan their activities,” he added.
As part of its recommendations to tackle the electricity problem, the IEA encouraged all political parties to include a roadmap for a permanent solution to Ghana’s energy challenges in their platforms.
It urged the ECG to inform the public ahead of scheduled power outages and suggested that policymakers create policies to make alternative power sources affordable and accessible for Ghanaians.