The Kejetia Market in Kumasi has been plunged into darkness for three days over a seven-million-cedi debt owed the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
The power company says the disconnection is informed by the failure of management of the facility to honour a scheduled debt repayment plan.
But the traders claim they have not defaulted in payment of electricity bills to management of the Kumasi City Markets Limited.
The ECG last April disconnected power the Kejetia Market over a Gh9.7 million debt.
Power was restored following a payment plan reached between the parties.
Four months on, the ECG says the market has not been able to fulfil its part of the bargain, leading to the current power disconnection.
The traders are not happy with management of the market, claiming they have been paying their bills.
“We are not owing. If we were, you would have seen people crowded at where we pay the bills. We don’t owe any ECG debts. They should let us know where the debts are coming from,” a trader said.
Managing Director of Kumasi City Markets, Edmond Kofi Duffuor, insists the company has demonstrated commitment to offset the debt.
“Last June, we owed 4.9 million cedis from the original 7.2 million cedis. Between June and now, we’ve paid 3.1 million cedis from the bill that was presented to us, so it was only left with 2.0 million cedis. We’ve arranged with them that we will be paying 100,000 cedis every day. Yesterday, we went to pay 1 million cedis,” he said.
Mr. Duffour says efforts are being made for power to be restored as soon as possible.
But the traders are calling for the overhaul of the management of the market.
“We can see that the man cannot manage the market. He should resign so that we find another person to manage the affairs of the market. They are really making us suffer,” an aggrieved trader said.