Hon. Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, has urged vendors to stay within assigned areas in order to reduce traffic and keep market areas tidy.
Speaking to traders at the Kaneshie Market on February 4, 2025, as part of a tour of a few market centers to assess sanitation concerns, reaffirm the government’s resolve to deal with careless trash disposal, and enhance market conditions, the minister urged cooperation between vendors and local government to address sanitation and uphold order.
She affirmed the new government’s resolve to tackle Accra’s urban problems and enhance market conditions as part of its larger plan for a cleaner city.
“We are here to engage you in a conversation about our mission to improve cleanliness in Greater Accra. We are taking into account the conditions of the roads, your problems, and your suggestions. Most walkways have been taken over by traders instead of serving their original purpose, which leads to traffic congestion. We want to understand your challenges so that we can find the best way to assist you,” the Minister stated.
The Minister took advantage of the occasion to ask about the condition of waste disposal in the market and the effectiveness of refuse collection by the assemblies. She was joined by representatives from the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC), which was headed by Mrs. Lilian Baeka, the GARCC’s chief director, as well as some employees from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and other sister assemblies in the region.
She invited traders to express their opinions, saying, “Does it take long for the refuse to be collected after it is gathered? These are some of the issues we want to address,”
The minister was welcomed by Mrs. Mercy Naa Afrowa Needjan, the president of the Greater Accra Markets Association, who also thanked the minister for her visit and promised traders that they would back her as a woman in leadership.
”In the market, we face numerous challenges we wish to discuss. There are various groups of traders with some selling at the top, others beneath, while some can be relocated, others should be removed. However, we must follow due process to ensure that people’s livelihoods are not affected. She cannot do it alone, and we are ready to support her efforts,” she said.
She pointed out that despite ongoing interactions with the police, attempts to control trading activities, particularly on the Kaneshie overhead footbridge, had proven challenging.
Street trading is having a substantial impact on business within the main markets, according to Madam Mercy Naa Afrowa Needjan, who recognized it as a major concern.
“Our major problem is those selling outside. Because of them, the market is now dry. Almost everyone has moved onto the streets. They are our brothers and sisters, and we want them inside the market. There are a lot of vacant spaces they can occupy,” she stated.
She noted that there had been notable advancements in sanitation, emphasizing that the Kaneshie market had historically been linked to trash.
However, the narrative had now permanently changed.
Source: newsthemegh.com