The Ghana Union of Traders’ Association (GUTA) has joined calls for the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to publish a load-shedding (dumsor) timetable for members to plan their businesses effectively.
The association bemoaned the negative impact of dumsor on the entire economy as it hinders productivity.
Meanwhile, several calls from various quarters including Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) for ECG to release a load-management schedule have yielded no positive result.
“Its negative impact on the entire economy is overwhelming as it affects every sphere of productivity from agriculture, and trade to industry.
“Manufacturers for instance are finding it difficult to maintain production schedules as well as plan for their workers due to the inconsistency in the power supply, which also adds cost to production and worsens the living conditions of the people,” the association said in a statement dated on Thursday, April 24.
Dumsor: A lot goes into drawing load-shedding timetable – Kwadwo Poku
Furthermore, GUTA lamented the high cost of doing business due to the erratic power supply because business owners have to high volume of fuel to power their plants.
“Also, due to the unpredictable power outages, most shop owners resort to the use of generators, where they buy and keep petrol for use of generators in the event of unexpected power outages.
“Manufacturers for instance are finding it difficult to maintain production schedules as well as plan for their workers due to the inconsistency in the power supply, which also adds cost to production and worsens the living conditions of the people.”
“Traders-Shop owners, Wholesalers, Tailors and Dressmakers, Electricians, Artisans, and all those who use electricity in their business are suffering a great setback as a result of this “Dumsor” phenomenon, creating unbearable situation for businesses in the country,” it emphasised.