The Kejetia Market in Kumasi has been plunged into darkness for three days due to a seven-million-cedi debt owed to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

The power company states that the disconnection results from the facility management's failure to honor a scheduled debt repayment plan.

However, traders assert that they have not defaulted on their electricity bills to the Kumasi City Markets Limited.

In April, the ECG previously disconnected power to the Kejetia Market over a debt of GH¢9.7 million cedis. Power was restored after a repayment plan was agreed upon between the parties.

Four months later, the ECG claims that the market has not met its part of the agreement, leading to the current power disconnection.

Traders are dissatisfied with the market management, insisting that they have been consistently paying their bills.

"We are not owing. If we were, you would have seen people crowded at where we pay the bills. We don’t owe any ECG debts. They should let us know where the debts are coming from," a trader said.

Managing Director of Kumasi City Markets, Edmond Kofi Duffuor, insists the company has demonstrated commitment to offset the debt.

“Last June, we owed 4.9 million cedis from the original 7.2 million cedis. Between June and now, we’ve paid 3.1 million cedis from the bill that was presented to us, so it was only left with 2.0 million cedis. We’ve arranged with them that we will be paying 100,000 cedis every day,” he said.

Mr. Duffour says efforts are being made for power to be restored as soon as possible.

But the traders are calling for an overhaul of the management of the market.

“We can see that the man cannot manage the market. He should resign so that we find another person to manage the affairs of the market. They are really making us suffer,” an aggrieved trader said.