TITLE:
An Analysis of Influencers of Energy Security for SMEs in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana
AUTHORS:
Jones Lewis Arthur, George Locher
KEYWORDS:
Energy Security, Influencers, SMEs, Efficiency, Environmental Steward-ship, Political, Market Condition
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Power and Energy Engineering,
Vol.10 No.2,
February
22,
2022
ABSTRACT: Investments in the exploitation of the continent’s
raw material reserves have resulted in little (positive) impact on the energy
security situation within Africa. This paper
attempts to explore factors influencing the level of energy security of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the
Greater Accra Region of Ghana, and from the dimension of availability, affordability, economic efficiency
and environmental stewardship or
sustainability of energy. The cross-sectional survey design was employed
as the design for the collection and analysis of data. The study applied a
quantitative research method in examining the indicators of energy security for
SMEs in Accra Metropolis in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The population covered about 500 SMEs who have about 100 employees and total revenue of $1 million or the equivalence in Ghana
Cedis. A sample of 246 was selected through a cluster and
simple random sampling. The analysis adopted statistical techniques to conduct descriptive, exploratory and inferential
analysis of the data collected. Factors that influence the level of energy security of SMEs are broadly categorized into the environment and economic change, political factors, physical
disruptions and market conditions. Ge- nerally, the level of energy security under
the availability dimension is medium among
the SMEs. Issues of affordability, economic efficiency and environmental stewardship provide high medium interventions on energy security for SMEs. It
is recommended that managers of Ghana’s energy sector should ensure prudent management of the country’s energy resources
since the disruption of supply lines or
sources form the key conditions that influence the energy security level of SMEs. SMEs should adopt energy
efficiency measures to ensure that energy is conserved for future use.