Youth in Salaga, the capital of the East Gonja Municipality, have taken to the streets to protest decades of erratic electricity supply and low voltage, which they say have crippled businesses and slowed development in the area.
Carrying placards and chanting slogans, the demonstrators demanded immediate government intervention to resolve the worsening power situation, describing it as unbearable and detrimental to livelihoods.
According to the youth, the municipality has battled unstable power supply for years, with no concrete solution from authorities despite numerous engagements with the Volta River Authority (VRA), Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), and municipal leadership.
They say the situation has led to the collapse of small and medium-scale businesses, particularly welding shops, cold stores, retail centres, and hospitality facilities that rely heavily on electricity.
“We cannot continue like this. Our fridges, machines and businesses are all breaking down. This problem has been with us for decades and nothing changes,” one protester lamented.
The demonstrators presented a petition to the Municipal Assembly, urging government to reconnect Salaga to a more stable power line and fast-track the construction of a proposed power substation in the area. They also called on the Energy Minister, whom they described as a “son of the soil,” to intervene immediately.
Some business operators in Salaga lamented the poor electricity situation in the community, saying power goes off more than 10 times a day, causing perishable goods stored in fridges to spoil.
They explained that frequent outages force businesses to rely on generators, which are costly and provide lower voltage, making it difficult to preserve goods. They are calling on authorities to urgently fix the power problem to save local businesses.
The Coordinating Director of the East Gonja Municipal Assembly, Alhassan Mahamadu Kamara, receiving the petition on behalf of the MCE said the Assembly has already engaged stakeholders, held a town hall meeting with NEDCO officials, and made follow-ups to Tatu-Yili and Bimbilla to push for improved electricity supply.
He confirmed that Salaga has now been connected to the Bimbilla feeder line, resulting in some improvement, although voltage remains weak, affecting businesses like welding and other high-power operations.
Kamara added that both the MCE and the MP are working to ensure a permanent fix and joined NEDCO in appealing to government to upgrade the power system to fully address the concerns of residents.
