Fish farmer cries after losing $8,000 machine to 'dumsor': 'I'm speaking out of grief'

The emotional testimony shed light on the crippling effects of prolonged power outages, with the farmer recounting the devastating loss of an $8,000 machine critical to his aquaculture operations.

In a heartfelt call to Accra-based Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, the farmer, his voice laden with despair, revealed how the recent power fluctuations led to the catastrophic damage of his oxygen-generating machine, essential for maintaining the health of his fish stock. "The business I ran is being grounded," he lamented, citing the compounding challenges of currency depreciation and capital depletion exacerbated by the ongoing power crisis.

“Apart from the cedi-dolar rate depreciation that is depleting my capital, I have been losing a lot of stuff because of this load-shedding. My $8,000 machine which I use to generate oxygen for my fishes just blew up 3 days ago. I have to try to be changing water for the fishes day-in-day-out to raise the oxygen level,” he lamented. “What kind of wickedness is this?”

Expressing frustration at the lack of accountability, the farmer criticized both government inaction and media oversight. He bemoaned the authorities' failure to address the crisis promptly, juxtaposing it with the swift response to seemingly trivial matters. "Curse will be on those who are supposed to act and they are not acting," he declared, urging for prioritization of national interests over political campaigns.

"... but look at the whole country is being taken to ransom and no ministry is taking responsibility. And I am blaming some of the media. We need to hold these people by their balls. They are causing people’s businesses, they are causing people’s lives. I’m speaking out of grief. I’ve lost $8,500 machine because of somebody’s incompetence and we have a vice president going round and campaigning to be elected and we don’t have people to stand before him and tell to go and fix the problems and get out of here with your campaign,” he added. “What kind of country are we running?”

The fisherman's ordeal mirrors the struggles faced by countless Ghanaians amidst the persistent power cuts plaguing the nation. Despite directives from the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and the Parliament's Energy Committee, the government has refused to provide a comprehensive timetable for electricity distribution through the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), fuelling public frustration and economic distress.