We want to remain tabletop operators - Affected electrical cable sellers as they oppose new containers

Over 200 electrical cable sellers who had their canopies and tables destroyed have said they prefer working on a table than in a container.

According to them, the number of people who work on a table are more 5, therefore, demolishing their structures to mount a container will render them jobless.

They bemoaned the high price of the containers brought to them by these faceless people.

The electrical ware traders also noted that renting the container will cost them between GH¢30,000 to GH¢60,000 for 5 years.

One of the traders who spoke to GhanaWeb said, “We heard that they are going to sell one at GH¢50,000 and how much is our income? And you are collecting GH¢50,000 for a container. We can’t afford it …That means that you want all of us to go back to our hometowns.”

“Over here, we are more than 500. Each table takes about 8 people and if you put one container, it can take the side of 3 tables and if each table is taking about 8 people, which means that 3 times 8. If one person buys the container at GH¢50,000, subtract 1 from 24, where are the 23 people going? Meanwhile, we are in COVID season, things are not going on well. The government promised to give us money to even do our business, we didn’t get some of the loans and the little that we are using to manage ourselves too, somebody with his own interest wants to sack us from working here,” he continued.

Another victim who spoke to GhanaWeb's Ernestina Serwaa Asante said, "They’ve done a lot to us. It has affected our daily livelihoods because you can’t just jump in without our notice and start doing anything on your own powers. We have asked all the authorities but they said they don’t know anything about it. We are trying to re-organize ourselves and bounce back to work.”

President of the Ghana Electrical Dealers Association (GEDA), Kwabena Koranteng Asiamah speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb Business expressed his support to the affected traders.

He reaffirmed their position of kicking against the introduction of containers for these young traders to work in.

Mr Asiamah opined that these containers will serve as a blockage to firefighters in emergencies and will also cause more harm than good to the business community.

He said, “nobody has money to buy a container. Even if 1 person gets the money to buy the container, what about the 5 people remaining? They will not have any work to do so we will not allow anyone to bring containers to this area.

"When there is a fire outbreak too, the fire service people cannot bring any truck here to quench the fire so we want that place to be vacant for free movement so w prefer the table to the containers," Mr Asiamah added.