Kumasi Second-Hand Cloth Sellers To Embark On Five-Day Demonstration Against Government

• Kumasi second hand cloth traders and other trade groups are planning a five-day long protest against government's delay in completing the Kumasi Central Market
• According to them their relocation to the Kumasi racecourse area has been detrimental to their business
• But the Ashanti Regional minister says the market will be completed after the Kumasi airport and KATH maternity block has been completed

Secondhand cloth traders in Kumasi are planning a five-day continuous protest to demand the swift completion of phase two of the Kumasi Central Market project.

This was after they were relocated from the central market to the Kumasi racecourse due to the reconstruction project.

The project was halted in 2022 due to the 2022 debt restructuring programme, which delayed the traders' return to their spots.

The angry traders explained that their relocation had led to low customer traffic, slow business, and losses.

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The traders say they will begin their demonstration after the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II ends his 25th Anniversary celebrations.

The leader of the Central Market Traders Association, Samuel Obeng, said the demonstration will be massive.

He said auto mechanics from Suame magazine and other trade groups will also join in the protest.

However, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, says the project will only resume after completing the Kumasi International Airport and the Maternity block of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

He has urged the traders to exercise patience.

But the traders say they are dissatisfied with the minister’s response and would proceed with their protest.

“Instead of helping us cater to ourselves and our families by completing the market, you rather want to complete the airport. That’s fine, but we shall see,” Samuel Obeng said.

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Fire razes Madina market

In a separate story, YEN.com.gh reported that several shops and goods at the Madina market were razed by fire. The inferno, which started at around 9 pm on Wednesday night, raged throughout the night until early dawn when the Ghana National Fire Service was able to bring the situation under control.

In an interview with citinewsroom, an officer of the Ghana National Fire Service stated that the lack of access through the shops at the market had made it very difficult for personnel to reach the blaze point. He noted that officers had to break through shops to reach the fire.

No casualties were recorded as most traders had closed from work; however, two traders who were affected by the blaze fainted from shock after seeing what had happened to their shops. The Ghana National Fire Service is still investigating the cause of the fire.

Source: YEN.com.gh