Trading activities in major markets in Accra came to a standstill on Thursday, August 15, 2024, as thousands of traders and commuters mobbed the running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, during her tour of some markets in the capital.
Chanting slogans for change, the traders waved their cover clothes while some rolled their hands and danced to the NDC’s music with excitement, praying for the return of the party to power.
The markets that Prof. Opoku-Agyemang visited included the Mallam Atta, Kaneshie, and Makola Markets, where she also interacted with the leadership of the traders and commercial drivers' unions.
At the Mallam Atta Market, hundreds of traders left their wares to welcome Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who assured them of a better economic environment and livelihoods under the next NDC government.
According to the traders, the economic difficulties and the high cost of doing business in the country were collapsing their enterprises. They therefore expressed their desire for a remedy.
Addressing the traders at the Mallam Atta Market, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang assured them that the NDC government will implement policies that will be beneficial to ordinary Ghanaians.
She explained the party’s proposed establishment of a Women’s Development Bank, which seeks to provide loans with flexible payment terms to female traders, describing it as an innovative initiative to empower women financially and improve the lives of women and households.
"This visionary initiative will address the financial challenges facing women whose trading businesses are collapsing," she said.
Touching on the deplorable conditions in the markets, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the NDC has a plan for the rehabilitation of markets across the country, indicating that a facelift for the Mallam Atta Market would be considered.
"As you all know, the NDC delivers on its promises when in government," she said, citing several market infrastructure projects as proof of the party’s track record.
To be able to return to power to reset the country and build the Ghana we want together, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang urged them to vote massively for the NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, and the NDC parliamentary candidates in the upcoming December general elections.