The shrilling noise of a cement block molding machine fills surrounding homes each night the lights are off, but that is one nuisance residents of Kpone have had to silently endure to save their neigbour’s business from total collapse in this era of erratic power supply.
Kofi Goerge, owner of the Block Factory says he is left with no other option than to be a nuisance to his neigbours each night the lights are off to meet his production targets.
When Weekend Finder visited the factory at around 11pm on Tuesday, workers were busily molding blocks under light bulbs.
George told, Weekend Finder that as a result of the incessant power outages, his workers have virtually nothing to do during the day when the lights are off and he had to pay them extra working allowances to get them to mold the blocks at night so he could meet his clients demands.
He said although he regrets the situation, as his activities has become a nuisance to his neighbours during the night, it is the last resort to save his business from total collapse.
He narrated that on a normal working day, when the lights are on, he is able to mold 30 bags of cement blocks , but only able to do 10 on days he has to work in the night so as not to disturb his neigbours too deep into the night.
“For example as we speak I am supposed to make some deliveries but we are unable to meet the time lines because there is no power. Again because we mold in the night, the blocks take a longer time to dry and this further delays supplies” he lamented.
Some of the workers also expressed grave concerns about the power situation and the fact that they have to be working during the night when they should be sleeping in the comfort of their homes.
George is not alone in this predicament as many other small businesses have either folded up or are comatose due to the current power situation.
Many cold stores in the Tema Metropolis have had to shut down due to the power situation while others count huge losses from cartons of fish that has gone bad.
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