{"id":414295,"date":"2017-09-04T09:32:21","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T09:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ghana-mma.com\/2017\/09\/04\/mobile-phone-business-thrives-in-darkness\/"},"modified":"2017-09-04T09:32:21","modified_gmt":"2017-09-04T09:32:21","slug":"mobile-phone-business-thrives-in-darkness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/09\/04\/mobile-phone-business-thrives-in-darkness\/","title":{"rendered":"Mobile phone business thrives in \u2018darkness\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

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Electricity is very critical to individuals and businesses, but for residents of \u2018Katapie\u2019 in the Ahafo Ano North District of the Ashanti Region, it has remained a wish.<\/p>\n

Amid the unfortunate developmental vacuum, comes the flourishing mobile phone charging business.<\/p>\n

Thirty-five-year old \u2018Katapie\u2019 resident, D.K. Emmanuel, as he prefers to be called, is the brain behind the initiative.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

He is a farmer who cultivates plantain, cassava and other food crops.<\/p>\n

Farming is not his only occupation. He runs the only provision shop in a community of just over 800 inhabitants where he even sells iced-water.<\/p>\n

\"D.K.<\/p>\n

Emma, his consumer customers affectionately call him, has been doing the business for six years.<\/p>\n

As business inclined as he is, he charges mobile phones for a fee to augment his income from farming.<\/p>\n

So his customers do not only come in to buy but to charge their phones due to unavailability of electricity.<\/p>\n

Emma uses a generator for his business. He buys 40 cedis worth of fuel to power his generator for his business.<\/p>\n

His service attracts clients beyond the \u2018Katapie\u2019. It extends to other towns who also charge their phones at his place during market days.<\/p>\n

Market days come ones every week.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring market days, many people from other communities come to sell. Since I am the only person who charges phones here, they bring their phones and I do it for them. Those without chargers, I use a universal charger to charge for them. My business really booms during these periods,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

It is about 2 pm and Maafia, one of his customers, is here to take her phone she has left in Emma\u2019s shop to charge since morning.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Awal, another customer of Emma is now bringing his phone to charge.<\/p>\n

Maafia came with her charger but Awal has no charger. This means Emma will provide a charger for him but at the same fee. But they both paid 1 cedi for the service rendered.<\/p>\n

For Awal, Emma is a kind person because the amount being charged is cheaper compared to the same service in Tepa where there is electricity.<\/p>\n

In a day, he is able to charge an average 40 phones but manages to charge more phones during market days.<\/p>\n

\"phone-charging-biz\"<\/p>\n

To be able to differentiate the owners of one phone from the other, he writes every owner\u2019s name on a sheet of paper and sticks it on the phone.<\/p>\n

But beyond the returns he makes charging people\u2019s phones, comes with challenges that get Emma worried.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the customers intentionally bring their phones without batteries in them. The owners come back complaining their batteries are missing and as a result, i have pay for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

This has though Emma some lessons so he is very vigilant now. So when a customer hands over his or her phone, he double checks the battery compartment before charging.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a private firm, Black Star Energy, is providing 14 kilowatts solar powered electricity to the community.<\/p>\n

Director of Engineering and Construction for Black Star Energy, Richard Arthur says consumers will be given a prepaid meter and they would have to buy scratch vouchers to facilitate the use of the energy being provided.<\/p>\n

This is expected to end the long standing access to electricity challenge and quicken economic activities, especially in the night.<\/p>\n

Though positive, the inception of electricity means, Emma\u2019s phone\u2013charging business will be affected.<\/p>\n

But Emma believes it will rather address the challenges he and his clients face.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will help me because though it will reduce the number of phones I charge, I will also reduce the amount i spend on fuel for my generator and I will not have to buy batteries to customers who take advantage of my business of charging the phones. I will be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps, he can concentrate on selling his provisions and toiletries whiles the community enjoys their new life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u0642\u0627\u0644\u0628 \u0648\u0631\u062f\u067e\u0631\u0633<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Electricity is very critical to individuals and businesses, but for residents of \u2018Katapie\u2019 in the Ahafo Ano North District of the Ashanti Region, it has remained a wish. Amid the unfortunate developmental vacuum, comes the flourishing mobile phone charging business. Thirty-five-year old \u2018Katapie\u2019 resident, D.K. Emmanuel, as he prefers to be called, is the brain […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":414296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-414295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nMobile phone business thrives in \u2018darkness\u2019 - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/09\/04\/mobile-phone-business-thrives-in-darkness\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Mobile phone business thrives in \u2018darkness\u2019 - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Electricity is very critical to individuals and businesses, but for residents of \u2018Katapie\u2019 in the Ahafo Ano North District of the Ashanti Region, it has remained a wish. 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