THE goods and services produced domestically in Zambia like ours over, let’s say, a period of one year, is measured by economists as Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Sometimes the measurement of the GDP eludes the economists in the sense that, the goods and services are produced from the backyards or in secluded places where it is not possible to measure it statistically and include it in the measurement of the GDP.
This poses a problem to measure what could be termed as a true GDP figure for a given country including Zambia.
For example it becomes quite trick to make references to businesses that operate in the informal sector in the sense that they are not registered with government relevant authorities and that they are not captured in the contribution of taxes and local government levies.
However, today I want us to look at the effect of load shedding on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and its anticipated effect on the GDP.
The most affected businesses of the continuing load-shedding are the SMEs because of limited interventions in these problems because of limited finances.
For example whereas the businesses with massive financial  muscles are able to intervene in this situation by way of procuring generators, solar panels and continue with business operations, the small business have been seen to suspend business operations waiting for restoration
of electricity supply.
Although it must be mentioned here in passing that operating generators is more costly than paying for electricity consumption because of diesel or petrol consumption which is more costly compared to electricity tariffs.
The most affected small businesses are in  the category  of hair salons, barbershops, photocopying, internet café, food restaurants, secretarial services, welders, fridge repairers to mention but a few.
The load-shedding which at times goes on for almost the whole day in some places have affected the incomes of these businesses such that their lives have been affected in one way or another the time
load-shedding gained momentum.
It is realised that not all these business owners own houses, others stay in rented houses and have supporting staff who they keep by providing them with salaries or allowances.
Given the prolonged period the load-shedding will be in place, poverty levels will surround these small businesses unless the intervention plan is sought to help them.
The water levels in the dams that generate electricity and are rain-fed are expected to beef up water stocks somewhere in December or January next year going by the recent change in the rain patterns.
One of the salon owners interviewed  arrayed some fears that since they are not operating to the full campacity, they will not be able to raise money even for rentals hence they will be thrown out of business premises for failure to pay rentals.
One of the garages powered by the modern equipment driven by electricity remained unoperational for most of the time the electricity had been out and most of the work in progress remained an executed.
The general picture and borrowing the language of the economists, the GDP per capital will drastically reduce if this trend continues with no intervention.
One of the entrepreneurs suggested that the government should declare this as national disaster and call for intervention from the international community.
The intervention sought by the government by way of reducing duty on energy equipment being brought in the country such as solar panels and electricity producing generators is seen as a move in the right direction.
However, one entrepreneur suggests that the entrepreneurs involved in the production of goods and services should be assisted with loans to procure energy equipment to keep the levels of GDP afloat.
The situation at hand does not look good as most of these small businesses look hopeless in time of electricity load-shedding.
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