Some spare parts dealers at Abossey Okai in Accra have decried adverse effects the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak in China is having on their businesses.
The dealers said the outbreak of the virus has led to the shortage of some of their stock as their suppliers have suspended production due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
They said although there are alternatives to some of the products they import from China, the associated challenges have slowed down their businesses.
One of the affected business owners told Citi News that: “It is having a negative impact on our business and it is taking a toll on some of the goods we bring in from China. We are now experiencing shortages.”
He added that, “China is now a major pillar when it comes to trading activities and most of our people [spare parts dealers] go there to bring in goods and with the outbreak of this coronavirus, people cannot go there and we are beginning to experience a shortage of goods. So we are praying that they should be able to control this disease so that people can go there and bring us goods.”
Another dealer, Nana Kwabena Peprah, who is the Vice-Chairman of the Greater Accra chapter of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) said many of his colleagues have had their businesses affected by the outbreak in China.
He said in some instances, Ghanaian traders have already made payments but cannot get their products because the factories and warehouses have suspended work.
“One of my members went to China three weeks ago, she came back because of the problem. The factory is not working anymore. So because they have closed down, they can’t load her products until the factory resume operations… It is having a serious effect on businesses,” he said.
The World Economic Forum has estimated that the coronavirus in China will slow China’s economic growth to 4.5% in the first quarter of 2020 – the slowest pace since the financial crisis.
Factory shutdowns have slowed the flow of products and parts from China, affecting companies around the world.
