Gov't to reconstruct markets across the country

Trade and Industry Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has assured traders government would re-construct various markets across the country in consultation with the traders under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.

The need to rebuild the markets with modern structures has come up especially after the recent fire outbreaks that razed down some major markets including the Kantamanto in Accra and the Kumasi Central Market in the Ashanti region.

The traders in Kantamanto, after the fire, expressed concerns about government's plans, which they said would only deprive them of their market space.

But speaking at a short ceremony in which Stanbic Bank wrote off the loans of victims of the Kantamanto fire, the Minister of Trade and Industry said government would collaborate with the traders in carrying out the nationwide markets re-construction initiative.

The minister said the nationwide development of the local markets, will be a joint collaboration between the Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ghana Union of Traders Association, (GUTA) and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

He said the project will be done under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

He has, therefore, appealed to GUTA to cooperate with government on the project.