Atwedie market left empty over safety concerns

Traders at Atwedie in the Asante-Akim South District have refused to move into a modern market built to provide adequate space and decent environment for them to engage in their trading activities because of safety concerns.

They insisted it was “too risky and nightmarish crossing” the Kumasi-Accra highway, which runs through the community, to do business at the new market constructed by the district assembly. Their fears were borne out of the rampant pedestrian knock downs in the community.

Nana Baah Appenteng, an assembly member, told a team of reporters from the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that he had done everything to convince the people to patronize the facility, but they had remained adamant.

The journalists were in the community under STAR-Ghana-sponsored media auditing and tracking of development projects, to put a spotlight on how government’s resources were impacting on the lives of the people.

Nana Appenteng said all the stalls had been allocated and the only thing left was for the traders to move in with their wares, Just two people, a fish seller and butcher, are occupying the market, as the rest appeared more comfortable operating their businesses from their various homes.

He said he found it deeply worrying that the facility built more than six years ago had virtually become a white elephant. Maame Dansowaah, the fish seller, noted that until adequate measures were put in place to assure both the traders, customers and their children of their safety, the market would continue to remain unoccupied.

She complained to the team that sales had not been good, and appealed to the authorities to act to make the facility functional. Maame Dansowaah’s story was in sharp contrast with that of Shaibu Musah, the butcher, who because of the monopoly he enjoys as the only meat seller in the town, said it had not been bad.