Eight markets across the country have been selected to benefit from the Access Project under the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) to improve electricity supply to boost business activities in these markets.

According to MiDA, US$10 million has been devoted for this intervention in the supply and provision of electricity to these markets.

They are Madina, Makola, Kaneshie, Dansoman and Timber Markets. The rest are Agbogbloshie, Tamale Central and Tamale Timber Markets.

The project will involve the installation of high voltage distribution systems across the markets, provision of security lighting systems, removal of unsafe connections as well as prevention of illegal connections and cable theft. Some 3,500 new connections are estimated to be made under the project.

Samuel Asare Afram, Access & NFOT Project Manager at MiDA during a press briefing in Accra said the goal of the project is to resolve the bottlenecks and constraints of power supply in the markets.

He said the well-being of any market place is the provision of opportunities to enable and equip Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

“Under the Ghana Compact II Programme being implemented by MiDA and financed by the United States government, the Access Project seeks to address power constraints that affect small and medium enterprises in selected markets and reduce poverty through economic growth. The contribution of SMEs to economic development must not be understated,” he added.

During some eight months of consultations and stakeholder engagements on some selected markets, Afram said 59 percent of them were found not to have been connected to electricity.

In that regard, Afram said efforts are being undertaken for a detailed engineering design and procurement processes for the implementation of the project, adding that the main project will commence by the second quarter of 2019.

The Project Manager said by way of information dispensation towards the project, MiDA in collaboration with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and NEDCO will hold a Customer Information Campaign on Wednesday, May 9 at Accra’s Makola Market to educate market women and men under the new billing system on ways to reduce commercial losses and safety in the market place, amongst others.

He appealed to stakeholders in the various markets to collaborate and support contractors to undertake the project.