Dumsor Technology

Insufficient power supply in Ghana has affected every facet of the economy. Many organizations and individuals are being impacted negatively. Some major facilities i.e. hospitals do not have light and nurses deliver babies with the aid of flash-lights on mobile phones and through other unconventional means . When dialysis, defibrillators, monitors, EKGs, anesthesia units, sterilizers, lights, stress systems, ultrasounds, and electrosurgical machines have no power to work then we have a crises. These have been reported as the case widely on radio stations in the Country. This blog compiles few technology activities related to Dumsor that might be of help.

Dumsor or more appropriately Dum Sɔ is a popular Ghanaian term used to describe persistent electric power outages. The term is coined from two separate words from the Twi dialect of the Akan language (a language spoken widely in Ghana), dum (to turn off or quench) and sɔ (to turn on or to make light). The term was adopted because of the frequent blackouts due to insufficient power supply. -Wikipedia

Apps "born" by Dumsor

Some Ghanaian Developers have built apps that may assist in some way to mitigate the "pain of powerlessness"

Dumsor -KodeFusion GH

Power Outage? Can't see in the dark? Your room is darker than sin? Dumsor is here to brighten your corner and make life easy in your darkest moments. Its simple, lightweight and dependable.

Dumsor is an app that uses your camera flash as a torch in times of power cuts and when you need light the most. It is lightweight, which means it is fast, it has no ads, which means it saves your battery in critical times and best of all, it is easy to use !!

Dumsor Dumsor -Nalo Solutions

Don't know the current load shedding timetable? Tired of not knowing when the lights would go off -the light in your area? Want a simple, reliable, genuine and accurate load shedding timetable to carry around? Then this is the app for you.

TheDumSor (Android App - Flashlight)

Literal English Translation: Off|On

Real blackout voice reactions on the click of either 'DUM' or 'SOR'

How is Dumsor affecting the local economy of Ghanan

These apps have a few 1000 downloads and some interesting reviews. If these apps helped the users then it's worth noting. Thank you guys for your efforts to lessen our burden.

See video on impact of Dumsor on local economy

Ultimately what we want as a nation is for everybody to contribute in their own small way to building a better Ghana and probably make the lives of people better.

other stories

Eight surprising consequences of Ghana's power outages