Small businesses and local industries across Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa States are grappling with severe disruptions following a sharp decline in electricity supply from the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO).
Investigations revealed that in recent weeks, power supply in the affected states has dropped to less than two hours daily. The situation worsened during the Easter holiday, leaving many residential areas, particularly Christian communities, in complete darkness during the celebrations.
The persistent blackout is occurring at a time when temperatures have soared to 43 degrees Celsius, with residents enduring intense heat from early morning until evening.
Small-scale enterprises, particularly dealers in frozen foods, water vendors, and beverage retailers, have been significantly impacted. Many businesses now rely heavily on generators to sustain operations, while others have had to suspend production due to the high cost of fueling alternative power sources.
Read also
Retailers have resorted to purchasing ice blocks to preserve perishable goods and cool beverages, resulting in additional operational costs and reduced profit margins. Stakeholders noted that the unstable power supply is compounding economic challenges for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) already battling inflation and rising operational expenses.
In response, the Kano Electricity Distribution Company attributed the outages to ongoing upgrades of critical distribution infrastructure and vegetation control efforts across its network.
Sani Bala Sani, spokesperson for KEDCO, explained that the upgrades are necessary to prevent network disruptions during the upcoming rainy season. He apologized for the inconvenience and assured the public that the projects would be completed promptly.
Despite the assurances, small business owners continue to call for quicker interventions, warning that prolonged power challenges could force many enterprises to scale down or shut operations entirely.
No comments:
Post a Comment