Some residents and business owners within the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area of the Ashanti Region, have kicked against the proposed increment in electricity tariffs in the midst of erratic power supply being experienced in some parts of the country. At a public forum on Thursday, April 8, 2021, the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Kwame Agyeman-Budu, suggested that the company needs more funds to support its operations and be more effective. He, therefore, proposed an increment in electricity tariffs. The proposal is however not sitting well with many, with some residents and business operators in Kumasi totally rejecting it. “We won’t agree to this tariff increment. They should focus on fixing the light before talking about increasing the tariffs, otherwise, we won’t accept it,” a fashion designer, Sadia Adams stated. “We hardly get light for our businesses. If there is any intention of increasing the tariff in this current state, it will badly affect us. This is because we are already facing challenges with our businesses and there is no money in the system,” another resident, Moro Ahmed indicated.
They thus want the Electricity Company of Ghana and other relevant stakeholders to take steps to address the current challenges with power distribution before any such proposal for an increment is put on the table. “At times we come to work without light. We sit here doing nothing. So they shouldn’t talk about any tariff increment, they should fix the light otherwise we won’t accept that,” a business owner stated. Meanwhile, some business operators and residents have reiterated calls on authorities to make available a load shedding timetable for the region. “You can wait for hours hoping the light will come back, but it doesn’t, due to the long hours it goes off. Authorities are not giving us any information about it and that is really affecting our businesses. So we want them to explain things to us or provide a load shedding timetable for us so that we can make adequate plans for it,” another fashion designer, Kwabena Asante told Citi News. “They are supposed to let us know if they will put the lights off so that we know how to go about our things. This is really affecting us,” a resident of Afful Nkwanta, Rebecca Narkie Tetteh stated.
