IndexIntroductionExploring how electricity has improved businessUsing electricity for economic developmentCharacteristics of entrepreneursHow electricity has changed lives: impactConclusion and recommendationWorks CitedIntroductionAll people interviewed recognized the availability and suitability of electricity for their business needs and how electricity has changed our lives. At the beginning of the business; 57% of the fishermen started their business before 1994. The three welders interviewed started their workshop after 1994. The owners of the barber shop were all young people under the age of 40. They also stated that they did not own any shops before 1994. From the interviews conducted, fishing was the predominant activity before electricity came to the community. There is no significant indication of the use of alternative sources of electricity as 98% rely solely on electricity provided by SPDC. Only one hairdresser had a generator for electricity on standby. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Exploring How Electricity Improved Business There was an overwhelming consensus that electricity improved the way they did business. The average fisherman in the Ogulagha community sees the impact of electricity from the point of view of the comfort it brings. Home lighting, watching cable television, and staying out late at bars highlight some of the key improvements in productivity that Fisher attributes to electricity in the community. Most intriguing is the statement by fishermen interviewed that fewer people fish today than in the pre-electricity era. It is speculated that more and more people are finding other more profitable ventures, such as taking contract jobs at the Forcados terminal or opening shops, rather than face the challenges of the tides while fishing. Fish processors see electricity as the greatest thing to happen to their businesses. About 98% of them have freezers for storing fish, which has so far posed a major challenge in increasing their productivity. The pre-electricity era forced them to process fish at odd hours to avoid spoilage, so many faced difficult health issues due to lack of rest as most fish are harvested at night. Surprisingly, all fish producers still use the old traditional firewood method to dry fish. One would expect all fish processing companies to have electric ovens due to constant electricity, but on the contrary, they still suffer from the effect of smoke and other problems associated with it. Additionally, 62% of processors said they were unaware of electric ovens as an alternative means of drying fish. 38% who are aware of the device say the lack of funding to procure the device and the acceptability of oven-dried fish prevents them from venturing into it. Most of the people interviewed agreed to profit from their businesses. While many of them have been discreet in revealing the exact amount involved, a tactical classification has been adopted to get an idea of where their profit margin stands. 31% of entrepreneurs make a daily profit between N500 and N2,000, 28% take home N2,000 and N4,000 and 8% agreed to earn N5,000 and above. About 33% declined to disclose information about their earnings. Use of electricityfor economic development Other factors influence the effective use of electricity for economic development. It was strange that even after having constant electricity, the fishing level was still within the subsistence level. There are no commercial fishing trolls in the waters of Forcados. If utilized, this commercially viable fishing option would bring great economic benefits to the community. Issues of multiple taxation by the youth of the community, not having available markets, and seeing pirates, among others, were noted as challenging factors that pushed the Ghanaian pioneers to leave for other communities. The research also took time to identify that there is only one poultry farm despite the large population of around 15,000 inhabiting the community. The eggs produced by the farm are not even enough to serve the entire community. So, the big question is why free access to electricity is still not enough to attract entrepreneurs in the agriculture-related business sector. Why is there a shortage of businesses that could leverage the expected value chain of production to support the poultry business and even export to other nearby coastal villages? Nearly all people interviewed identified transportation as a major barrier to diversifying and improving the productivity of their businesses. businesses. The lack of access roads to the nearest town (Warri) means that the average business owner in Ogulagha incurs additional costs for transferring goods and materials by boat. Interestingly, fishermen noted the lack of access roads as a direct result of limiting buyers from nearby towns and shifting the focus of the fish market to land-based areas. There was general dissatisfaction with the lack of basic infrastructure. The community has only one public primary and secondary school; A hospital cottage courtesy of the SPDC and a private clinic. No visible recreational club, except the sea shore where the community transforms into a beach during the festive periods. There is no functioning water system, except for a generally fed manifold tap water system from which every member of the community takes. This too was prone to numerous failures due to rough use. The analysis and interpretation of the results were carried out considering the contextual issues enumerated in the results. Aggregating findings on entrepreneurs' characteristics, the impact of electricity on their businesses, and other factors influencing the effective use of electricity formed the foundation of these analyses. Characteristics of Entrepreneurs Fishing was found to be dominated by men, while processing was more female. The results show that female entrepreneurs outnumber men. A larger percentage of these entrepreneurs are of young and productive age but with minimal education. This prevalence highlights the fact that young people who have difficulty transitioning to higher education find themselves involved in a business or order to earn a living. While this is not the focus of this paper, it has been mentioned because of its effect on how entrepreneurs expand and build their businesses. The fact that fish processing companies have demonstrated lack of knowledge of the existence of an electric oven for a better and more efficient method of drying fish is a clear indication that lack of education or insufficiency remains a major challenge in use of available energy to make the desired economic impact using modern technology as highlighted in the OgulaghaCome communityelectricity has changed lives: impactStable access to electricity has been in place since 1994 courtesy of SPDC. This was recognized by interviewees, such as tailors, barbers, telephone repairers and hairdressers, who started their businesses after electricity was provided to the community. This factor used the comparative methodology that reflected how businesses were before the electric age (1994) and now. Business owners confirmed that it would be nearly impossible for their businesses to thrive without electricity. Another significant milestone in access to electricity was that 98% of fish processing companies now have individual freezers that store fish purchased from fishermen and offer end consumers the option to purchase dried or fresh fish . These two scenarios highlight the fact that access to energy through electricity has improved the way of doing business for entrepreneurs in Ogulagha. In contrast, the use of traditional firewood to dry fish is at an alarming level. All fish processing companies still use firewood regardless of the effect of inhaling carbon dioxide into the human body and the effect of deforestation on the natural ecosystem due to cutting down trees for firewood. This is further compounded by lack of proper education/awareness, inadequate funding and the myth of possible rejection of oven-dried fish versus naturally dried fish. The profit margin of entrepreneurs provides an indication of the economic growth pattern of the community. As more entrepreneurs earn less than $15 a day, this shows that available energy is largely underutilized. Other factors influencing the effective use of electricity for economic development: It is obvious from the research results that a lot affects the use of available electricity electricity for the economic benefits of entrepreneurs. Lack of access roads, availability of funds, lack of basic infrastructure, multiple taxation and limited customer base have emerged very clearly. It is evident that the government presence in terms of infrastructure is almost non-existent. Therefore, the usual economic boom that ensures available, stable and free electricity supply remains a mirage of the case study of Ogulagha community. In addition to the challenges already mentioned, five potential non-indigenous entrepreneurs gave two key reasons why they had not made any investments in Ogulagha despite the constant supply of electricity. Community land acquisition policy and tenure security. The community has a law that land cannot be sold to non-indigenous people but leased under the land ownership of a community member. The community reserves the right to take back the land along with any buildings on it at any time it wishes. Furthermore, the security threat posed by youths burning down buildings and people's livelihoods at the slightest provocation of a leadership conflict or ethnic crisis, as evidenced by the 2004 Ijaw-Itsekiri crisis and the Ogulagha leadership conflict of 2018. All these events happened without being repeated. the perpetrators of the crime or bringing them to report. These have been identified by potential investors and entrepreneurs who will not want to spend huge amounts on investments and then see them go down the drain. Conclusion and Recommendation This paper on the impact of energy access on the economic development of Ogulagha community is very relevant to policy makers and strategists in. 30-39.
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