Mankessim traders threaten to boycott district level elections

Traders at the Mankessim Market have decided to boycott the forthcoming district level elections because the Mfantseman District Assembly is not sensitive to their plight.

The traders stated categorically that they would not exercise their franchise in either the district assembly or the unit committee elections stating that they did not see the need to waste their "precious time" to go and vote for people who would not seek their welfare at the assembly.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency after the traders had embarked on a demonstration to press home problems facing them in the market, Nana Ekua

Bedigua, Queen mother of Mankessim Market Women's Association expressed disappointment that though the survival of the Mfantsiman District Assembly depended on the Mankessim Market it did not pay due attention to what she called "the hen that lays the golden eggs.''

Nana Bedigua said many fishmongers who had been doing business at the market had now deserted the place because they could not find comfortable places to occupy and had now turned to Techiman, Asamankese and other markets.

She said traders at the market had been recording very poor sales because fishmongers who made trading flourish had refused to patronise the market. Nana Bedigua said when the attention of the district assembly was drawn to the plight of the fishmongers, the assembly tipped some poor quality latrite, at the place making it worse than it used to be.

According to her said the place becomes muddy and waterlogged during the rainy season making it impossible for the fishmongers to get appropriate places to do their business. She accused the staff of the assembly for showing favouritism in the allocation of sheds and stores at the market. The queen mother said in June last year, a workshop was organised by the village infrastructure project for some identifiable groups including market women.

She said at the workshop they were told that two thirds of the revenue generated at the market should go to the district assembly whilst one-third be retained for the development of the market but said up to now this decision has not be implemented as the assembly had refused to release the quota for the market development to the authorities at the market.

Nana Bedigua said traders were doing business under fear because of harassment by thieves. When contacted, Mr Kofi Wilson, the District Chief Executive for Mfantseman said his administration inherited numerous problems at the market and said the problems were being addressed one after the other.

On the gravelling of the place allocated for the fishmongers, the DCE said it was unfortunate that the laterite was found to be of inferior type. According to him a new place had been identified where high quality laterite could be obtained but said work has been suspended now due to the rains. He assured the traders that work on the rehabilitation of the place will resume as soon as the rains subside and urged them to exercise patience.

Mr Wilson said the assembly was seeking funds from donor agencies for the construction of a modern market complex for the town and appealed to the traders to rescind their decision not to vote in the district level elections.