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The Kumasi Kejetia Market’s one meter issue will be resolved, according to Hon. Dan Botwe, Minister of Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development.
Mr. Dan Botwe, the sector minister, claims that his office is coordinating closely with the Energy Ministry to ensure that separate meters are offered to market traders.
‘I have personally listened to the traders, and management of the market and i believe this problem of a single meter serving over 7200 shops can be solved easily”
“My ministry has requested to meet the Minister for energy and I will make sure representatives from the trader’s front and Kejetia management is duly present to bring finality to the problem”
On January 25, 2023, in Kumasi’s Central Business District, Hon. Dan Botwe met with the Board and Management of Kumasi City Market Limited KCLM, the administrative body in charge of administering Kejetia Market, as well as the leading traders.
The Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development held the conference as part of its attempts to get firsthand knowledge about market developments.
Speaking to the merchants, Hon. Dan Botwe stated that building the facility cost the government millions of dollars. He also added that his ministry, under which the market is located, will do all possible to make trading in the market simple for everyone.
Speaking on behalf of the traders, a leading member of the Combined Kejetia Traders Association, Mr Frank Antwi commended Hon Dan Botwe for the initiative to help traders in Kumasi.
The choice by market administrators to employ a single metre for the whole facility has been greeted with protests from the Combined Traders Associations of Kumasi City Markets on a number of times.
The group gave notice of their plan to protest once more in June 2022 to press for the installation of individual meters for the stores at the Kejetia Market.
This happened when Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) authorities cut off the facility’s electricity due to GH5,000,000.0 in arrears.
The traders claim that they have refused to pay service fees because the facility’s administration did not ensure that the stores received the required number of self-meters.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com/Louis Gyamerah
