Flower Pot Interchange: Traders Fume After Tables Dismantled, Demand Promised Trading Spot

• Hawkers at the Flower Pot Interchange have demanded that the government find them a permanent trading spot
• This was after the Greater Accra Regional Minister and local authority members stormed the site to destroy stalls
• They said before the construction of the flyover, the government had promised to provide them a space to work from

Hawkers at the Flower Pot Interchange have expressed their displeasure with the government’s forced removal of their stalls and tables following the facility's inauguration.

According to the traders, before the inauguration of the flyover, the government had assured them that a designated spot would be made available for them to continue their trade.

The traders said they had worked at that site long before the flyover was conceived and traded there peacefully under various presidential regimes.

They had hoped that the construction of the flyover would secure a permanent location in the area for them to continue to ply their trade.

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The traders told Citinewsroom that, during the construction of the flyover, engagements with the local government authorities had assured them that their concerns were being earnestly considered.

They also referenced an alleged promise that a suitable location would be provided for them. As a result, some of the traders said they took out loans to support their businesses.

However, on November 20, a day after the inauguration, after the traders returned to their old worksite under the flyover, local government authorities led by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Daniel Titus Glover, forcefully removed them and their tables from the site.

This was after pictures of the hawkers under the flyover started circulating on social media.

In a scene akin to the Biblical description of Jesus’ fury at the traders at the Temple in Jerusalem, Titus Glover knocked down tables and benches and attempted to rip some apart.

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He stressed that the interchange’s appearance and purpose must be maintained and that traders would not be allowed to sully that appearance with their makeshift stalls and enterprises.

However, the traders say the minister’s actions are unjust and amount to their deception.

They complained that if they were not allowed to ply their trade, it would have dire economic consequences for their lives, as they still had unpaid loans to settle and families to feed.

Akufo-Addo commissions Flower Pot Interchange

YEN.com.gh reported that President Akufo-Addo recently commissioned the Flower Pot Interchange in Accra.

The initiative is to help ease the traffic congestion on the north and south corridors of the busy Tema Motorway.

The project, meant to enhance connectivity and improve commutes, was launched on November 19, 2024.

Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh