ASSI worried over fire outbreaks

The Association for Small-scale Industries (ASSI), has advocated comprehensive preventive measures to forestall the incidence of fire outbreaks in the country.

It said fire outbreaks, particularly those relating to the markets had brought tremendous challenges to many small-scale enterprises as they had lost huge property with some of the businesses almost collapsing.

Mr. Kwame Buor, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ASSI, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi that, finding pragmatic and a long-lasting solution to the problem was vital to sustaining the livelihood, lives and property of Ghanaians in general.

He suggested to the Ghana Standard Authority (GSA) to step up its monitoring activities on the sale of sub-standard electrical wires and other appliances which had flooded the market.

“It is our observation that some of these electrical devices have outlived their essence, thereby making them dangerous for use in the wake of the power fluctuations being experienced in the country in recent time”, he noted.

Mr. Buor indicated that ASSI was collaborating with the Ghana Electronics Servicing and Technicians Association (GESTA) to develop some locally-made switching voltage regulatory devices.

The technological devices which are in their experimental stages and have in-built power conversion mechanisms, aim to provide a regulatory voltage supply system for electrical appliances.

Mr. Buor pointed out that the project was being supported by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and some electrical engineers, noting that the programme would also see the development of a device that controls street lights to go off automatically during the day to save energy.

The project, he said, is the brainchild of one Francis Wereko, an Electronics Technician, who was motivated by the rampant power outages with its negative consequences on electrical appliances.

The ASSI Chairman stressed the need to invest in local technologies for the nation’s benefit.

Source: GNA