Traders in Kumasi and surrounding areas have issued a warning to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, criticizing their neglect of certain market projects.
The traders noted that for the last six months, progress on various market projects in the region has ceased, following the government’s decision to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
They identified four market projects that have been left incomplete, namely the Krofrom Market, Mamponteng Market, Santasi Market, and Phase Two of the Kejetia Market.
According to a statement released on May 6, 2024, as provided by citinewsroom.com, the traders in the Ashanti Region have threatened to protest against the government if their concerns are not resolved.
‘We, the entirety of traders in the Kumasi and its environs, including the Second-hand Cloth Sellers Association, Santasi Traders Union, Suame Magazine Workers Union, Mamponteng Traders Association, Central Market Traders Association, Kumasi Lotto Sellers Association, have
jointly decided to initiate a campaign against the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming 2024 general election if the government fails to complete all the abandoned markets in the Ashanti Region, including the much-awaited Phase Two of the Kejetia Market,’ portions of the statement read.
The group also emphasized that the inaccessibility of these abandoned markets has forced traders to sell their goods under unsuitable conditions, which deteriorate further with rainfall.
‘The government’s failure to meet completion targets has left us disheartened and frustrated. We fail to comprehend why a project would be initiated only to be abandoned, leaving our fellow traders to sell their goods in unsuitable conditions.
“Our livelihoods are greatly affected by adverse weather conditions; each rainfall turns our marketplaces into muddy quagmires, while the scorching sun blankets the area in dust, making it difficult for us to operate effectively,’ the statement added.
Source: Ghana Web