A prolonged power outage has plagued the West Gonja municipality in the Savannah Region for three days, causing widespread disruptions to businesses and institutions. The entire municipality has been plunged into darkness, forcing several establishments to either close or operate on a reduced scale.
Cold stores, drinking spots, pure water producers, and educational institutions are among the hardest hit. Even the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council, West Gonja municipality, and Regional Security Commands in Damongo are without electricity.
Business owners are feeling the pinch, with some sharing their ordeals with JoyNews. “The impact on us as a fuel station is very bad…I’ve spent GH¢1,200 on fuel in just days, and I usually buy electricity at GH¢1,500 a month,” said Abdulai Samed, a fuel station operator. “The generator is working 24 hours, and there’s pressure on us, with nursing students, security officers, and residents coming to charge their phones.”
Seidu Razack, another fuel station operator, lamented, “We’re just sitting here wasting…the painful thing is that our fuel was discharged, and the lights went off. We’re losing a lot without selling and paying light bills too.”
Cold store operators are also struggling, with one operator stating, “It’s not easy for us…I’ve to buy at least three jerricans full of fuel to power the generator, but the question is, for how long?”
The situation has forced some cold store operators to discharge their products into the open and sell them cheaply, as they struggle to keep their businesses afloat.
According to a source within the Savannah regional branch of the Volta River Authority (VRA), the power outage is attributed to the disruption of the Kabampe-Kanato high tension cable, caused by unsuspected loggers and charcoal burners cutting down a heavy tree along the Kabampe Larabanga highway.
Technicians brought in from Tamale have been unable to resolve the issue, leaving businesses and residents in the dark.
