Killing small scale businesses
Ghanaians, quite commendably, have exercised patience with the ongoing load-shedding exercise that began in 2012.
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Indeed, we have taken every excuse and reason adduced by the bodies responsible for power generation and distribution in our stride and lived with them with religious fervour.
There have been countless occasions when those bodies, namely, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) and the Volta River Authority (VRA), have given reasons the load shedding had to be undertaken.
Those reasons ranged from inadequate supply of gas from Nigeria, through inadequate water levels in the dams to the shutdown of equipment for maintenance purposes.
In the execution of the load-shedding programme, there were times when schedules were given which helped in the planning of daily routines by individuals and small-scale enterprises, even though the power providers failed, on countless occasions, to abide by the schedules.
The load shedding is in a phase where no schedule has been provided to guide individuals and small-scale organisations, thereby making life more unplanned and accidental.
Sometimes it seems miraculous when some areas enjoy electricity when they least expected it and a nightmare when other areas that expect power are disappointed.
When that happens, personal plans, organisational programmes and national initiatives are thrown out of gear, sometimes creating needless frustration and chaos.
Individuals may rather relatively cope with the situation, as it has become the norm for people to wear crumpled clothing to work and other social functions and no one even asks them why because the answer is very obvious — erratic power supply — dumsor effects.
But the toll this is having on small-scale enterprises is counter-productive and debilitating.
This is because that sector of the economy is lauded for its immense contribution to the enrichment of the national cake and the state of the economy.
In simple terms, the current load-shedding exercise seems to be killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
The immeasurable impact that the exercise is having on small-scale businesses poses an immediate threat to the gains made with regard to the economy in the past years and may kill initiative if care is not taken.
Reports that the Atuabo Gas Plant was coming on stream brought some relief to Ghanaians, but no one seems to realise any difference in the power crisis.
Indeed, many have had cause to ask if the Atuabo Gas has been of any practical help in the attempt to deal with the power situation.
In addressing the fear that many small-scale business persons, individuals and all Ghanaians have regarding the seemingly endless load-shedding exercise, it will be heart-warming if timelines are provided for the exercise.
That is to say Ghanaians must be told that the current exercise will continue until such a time, so as to afford everyone the opportunity to plan well and contain any contingency.
It should be proper for the various actors in the power industry, acting in concert, to set a definite schedule that says each area should expect to enjoy power for two days continuously and power off, two days continuously in a week, with the specificity of the days clearly indicated.
That, though will not be a solution to the crisis, will afford all Ghanaians the opportunity to plan and live better structured lives.
The Daily Graphic implores the main stakeholders in power generation and distribution to put their heads together and give Ghanaians a respected schedule and a timeline towards the normalisation of power distribution.
Ghanaians cannot ask for less.
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