Examining the Impact of Power Supply Instability on Small Business Productivity in Aba, Abia State

This study quantifies the impact of power supply instability on the productivity of small manufacturing and service businesses in Aba, Abia State, South East Nigeria. Aba is widely recognised as a hub of small-scale manufacturing, but chronic electricity supply failure forces enterprises to operate on expensive generator power, raising production costs and reducing competitiveness relative to imported products. Understanding the magnitude and mechanisms of this productivity impact is essential for both enterprise policy and energy investment decisions. The study employs a descriptive survey design, administering a structured productivity and energy cost questionnaire to 200 small enterprises across Aba's major industrial clusters in textiles, plastics, cosmetics, and metalwork. Data collected include daily grid electricity availability hours, monthly generator fuel expenditure, and production output metrics. Statistical analysis uses descriptive statistics and regression to examine the relationship between electricity availability and productivity. Findings indicate that small enterprises in Aba experience an average of fewer than four hours of grid electricity daily, with the remainder supplied by diesel generators at a cost averaging 22 percent of total monthly revenue expenditure. Enterprises that have invested in solar energy supplementation show 18 percent higher production uptime than generator-only operations. Production scheduling disruption from unannounced outages is identified as a secondary productivity cost beyond direct fuel expenditure. The study argues that the energy penalty on Aba enterprises represents a structural competitiveness disadvantage that policy must urgently address. Recommendations include targeted industrial solar energy subsidies for Aba manufacturing clusters. Keywords: power supply, small business productivity, Aba, energy cost, manufacturing.