COVID-19 AND IT'S IMPACT ON BUSINESS CONTINUITY IN GHANA: THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic is having a clear impact on business continuity for all organizations. As the world attempts to navigate through this difficult time, most companies are struggling to maintain a steady flow of required goods and services as well as maintain a stable financial position. This has necessitated a study into the business continuity in organizations in this current era. The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of Covid-19 on business continuity in Ghana while bringing into perspective the role the Government plays in easing the crisis. A descriptive survey design was used to solicit information from the employees of ten (10) companies in Ghana. Thirty (30) employees from these selected companies were sampled for interviews. The instrument used in this study was an interview guide. The research approach adopted for this study was the qualitative approach. Multi-stage sampling procedures involving both Purposive and simple random sampling were used to obtain data from a sample size of 30 employees. The study findings indicated that organizations face several challenges such as altering in the channel of distribution bringing in additional cost on technology and skills, drastic reduction in cash flows leading to inability to meet the companies' financial obligations to their suppliers and employees. The findings also suggested that the government has come up with various policies to ease the impact of the CoVOC-19 crisis. However, the respondents still expect the government to coordinate with the organizations to curb the problem. Practically, this study recommends that the government should explore opportunities focused on making conditions of trade flexible in responding to arising uncertainties.