Traders at the new Kejetia Market in Kumasi have once again urged authorities to bring finality to the issue of individual meters, which has been the center of recurrent controversies between traders at the facility and the management for the past three years.
On Tuesday, September 5, 2023, traders raised red flags throughout the facility as a form of warning to the management to address the metering issues as early as possible.
They also urged the authorities to address other pressing concerns, as they planned a series of actions they intended to take. These actions were later suspended following assurances from management and the board of the facility to address their concerns.
In an effort to ensure their concerns are addressed, the board chairman of the facility, who doubles as the Kumasi mayor, Samuel Pyne, held a meeting with the traders and representatives of the company that will be providing the meters. The company assured traders of providing the requested individual meters.
The traders say that so far, a memorandum of understanding has been signed, and the contractors in charge of the project have undertaken a one-month pilot process ahead of the signing of the contract, which is expected to happen soon.
Speaking to Citi News, the President of the Federation of Kumasi Traders, Nana Akwasi Prempeh, noted that the traders are anxiously waiting for the meters to be provided soon in order to avoid another action from them.
He said, “We held a meeting with management in September and were told a company had been selected to do a pilot project with respect to the individual meters. After the piloting, we engaged management as to the latest update on the metering, and management told us that they are awaiting the board’s approval to sign the main contract with the supposed company that they gave the green light to. So, we are anxious that these individual meters will be provided in time because the cost of electricity is always high, and it is a worrisome situation for us.”
On the other hand, the managing director of the facility, Kofi Duffour, assured plans to sign the contract by the end of the following week to ensure work begins on the installation of the over 7,000 meters.
He said, “Management is ready, and the meters are ready. I have seen them, and we have tested them and deployed ten in the form of a pilot. We have a technical team ready, a team from the Energy Commission is ready, and the ECG and PURC are all ready for the signing of the contract. So, hopefully, we will sign the contract by the end of this week.”
