Closure of shops in Kumasi affecting us badly, act now - Truck pushers, head potters to govt

Correspondence from Ashanti region Truck pushers, head potters in the Ashanti regional capital - Kumasi have bemoaned the negative impact the closure of shops in Kumasi is having on their business. According to them, the ongoing protest has rendered them jobless. They explained that their daily source of income which usually comes from shop owners has now ceased due to the non-operation of shops and its related businesses. In an interview with GhanaWeb, one of them said, "We're not getting anything to do here. Things are getting hard due to the closure of the shops and we have children too." "We're pleading with the authorities to do what's expected so that the shops can be open. We're suffering," another added. A head potter who spoke to GhanaWeb said the two days closure of shops at Adum has really affected them negatively. According to her, business for head potters are brisk when shops are opened. "People come to buy their things from the shops here and we carry it to get some money. We're not getting anything after the shops were closed," she said. They however appealed to the government and other stakeholders to come to the aid of these shop owners so other beneficiaries can also survive from them. For the past two days, shops in the Kumasi central business district have been closed down due to high inflation that has caused incessant hikes in the prices of goods. Some shop owners speaking to this GhanaWeb revealed that they were not going to open their shops until their demands are met. Meanwhile, leadership of the business owners who met with the Ghana Revenue Authority on Tuesday have maintained that they were not going to open their shops. Charles Kusi, Executive Secretary of Adum Business Community speaking on behalf of the group said, though the GRA, during the meeting, urged them open their shops whilst they settle issues with stakeholders, members still maintained their stance. He further disclosed that shop owners in Kumasi Adum have no issue with the GRA, indicating that their issues were mainly about the high inflation and the cedi depreciation.

Correspondence from Ashanti region Truck pushers, head potters in the Ashanti regional capital - Kumasi have bemoaned the negative impact the closure of shops in Kumasi is having on their business. According to them, the ongoing protest has rendered them jobless. They explained that their daily source of income which usually comes from shop owners has now ceased due to the non-operation of shops and its related businesses. In an interview with GhanaWeb, one of them said, "We're not getting anything to do here. Things are getting hard due to the closure of the shops and we have children too." "We're pleading with the authorities to do what's expected so that the shops can be open. We're suffering," another added. A head potter who spoke to GhanaWeb said the two days closure of shops at Adum has really affected them negatively. According to her, business for head potters are brisk when shops are opened. "People come to buy their things from the shops here and we carry it to get some money. We're not getting anything after the shops were closed," she said. They however appealed to the government and other stakeholders to come to the aid of these shop owners so other beneficiaries can also survive from them. For the past two days, shops in the Kumasi central business district have been closed down due to high inflation that has caused incessant hikes in the prices of goods. Some shop owners speaking to this GhanaWeb revealed that they were not going to open their shops until their demands are met. Meanwhile, leadership of the business owners who met with the Ghana Revenue Authority on Tuesday have maintained that they were not going to open their shops. Charles Kusi, Executive Secretary of Adum Business Community speaking on behalf of the group said, though the GRA, during the meeting, urged them open their shops whilst they settle issues with stakeholders, members still maintained their stance. He further disclosed that shop owners in Kumasi Adum have no issue with the GRA, indicating that their issues were mainly about the high inflation and the cedi depreciation.