Kejetia market traders demand reopening of shops

The Kumasi Kejetia Market’s barricaded area, which was impacted by the fire breakout, has been breached by some merchants.

The traders rushed the impacted area of the market and took down the barricades while wearing red clothing and armbands.

The market’s 807 stores have been shuttered, affecting the merchants’ means of subsistence, and only about 34 shops were impacted by the fire, according to the traders.

The traders observed they cannot remain at home because they have not been given a location to conduct business.

The Combined Kumasi Kejetia Traders Association’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Andrews Kwofie, spoke to the media on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, and lamented the impact that the stores’ closures had on the traders’ ability to make a living.

Since the officials closed the shops, the PRO claims that no actual work has been done.

Observing that “the debris has not even been cleaned,” he questioned what the officials had been up to for the previous 11 days.

When the Kumasi Mayor was informed about the debris, he told us that it was not his duty. Whose obligation is it to remove the debris so that peaceful market women can participate in their trading activities? If we say authorities, we’re talking to the mayor and, by extension, the board. Nobody should simply alter anything to his advantage because this is the main issue, Mr. Kwofie said.

The PRO requested that the shut-down businesses resume.

“We are demanding immediate opening of 807 shops and if this is not done we have only one hour to open it ourselves.”.

Since the fire event a few weeks ago, he claimed, the officials have done nothing to ensure that the market is restored so that the traders can resume their jobs.

“We challenge the officials to present us with a road plan they have created to direct us all in restoring normalcy or putting the affected regions back on track…We have demanded that, and we will continue to insist, that nothing of the type be done.

He questioned, “Are the officials suggesting that these 807 shops should not participate in trading activities and go hungry? Easter celebrations are just around the bend. Are they expressing that to us? How do the families that rely on the 807 stores make it through each day?

The vice chairman claimed that even prior to the fire event, market oversight was extremely lacking.

He claimed that the incident would not have happened if the monitoring had been appropriate.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com