Traders at Makola No. 2 Market in the Greater Accra Region erupted in jubilation after the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, directed that the management of the market be handed over to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to enable the Assembly assume full responsibility for its operations and development.
The directive was announced during an engagement with market women, following an appeal by traders for government intervention to address long-standing concerns over sanitation, market management and the rising cost of doing business at the facility.
Addressing the traders, the Regional Minister acknowledged that the current state of the market suggested that business was not progressing well.
She noted that the traders were particularly worried that funds collected from them were not being reflected in visible development and improvements within the market.
Mrs. Ocloo disclosed that the concerns of the traders had earlier been brought to her attention by the First Lady, Lordina Mahama, after traders staged a demonstration over conditions at the market.
She explained that she subsequently engaged the Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, and urged him to personally visit the market to interact with the traders and work with them to find practical solutions to their concerns.
According to the Minister, when the Mayor first visited the market, the premises were engulfed in heaps of refuse, but arrangements were quickly made to clear the waste.
She added that faulty streetlights within parts of the market had since been repaired, while improvement works were ongoing at an area where traders purchase water, including tiling and proper pavement.
Touching on the future management of the facility, Mrs. Ocloo explained that under the Local Government Act, markets or shops constructed and operated for a period must eventually be handed over to the appropriate local Assembly.
She noted that although there had been management challenges in the past, the traders welcomed the decision as it would allow their concerns to be channelled directly to the Assembly and pave the way for more responsive administration.
In his remarks, Mr. Allotey assured the traders that the Assembly had already begun addressing some of their immediate concerns.
He recalled that during his previous visit, the market environment had been heavily polluted, but the refuse was cleared shortly afterwards as part of efforts to restore sanitation at the facility.
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