GEMA to build ultra modern trading center - MCE announces as assembly demolishes unauthorized structures

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ga East Municipal Assembly (GEMA), Hon. Janet Tulasi Mensah has indicated that the Assembly would soon commence work on a proposed ultra modern trading centre in the municipality. She revealed this after they carried out a demolition exercise on the acquired land at Kwabenya-Atomic.

The exercise, which commenced at 2 a.m on Tuesday, 2nd September, 2020, was carried out by the Ga East Municipal Assembly Assembly Taskforce, with support from the Municipal Security Committee (MUSEC), on the land released to the Assembly by the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) for the market project.

A backhoe machine and two craned-tracks were engaged respectively to crash unauthorized concrete structures and containers and haul some to a designated point.

The military and police provided security as the Assembly carried out the deep-dawn task within the newly created Kwabenya-Atomic Market and along the Ga East Municipal Hospital road.

Briefing the media after the exercise, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Hon. Janet Tulasi Mensah, supported by the Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD), Mr. Matthew Tay, said the Assembly approached GAEC for a piece of their land to enable the Assembly relocate the Kwabenya Satellite Market traders as a result of the reopening of schools in July.

She recounted that following the directives by the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to decongest markets in keeping with the Social Distancing Protocol in the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the Assembly created the Satellite Market on the Kwabenya M/A Basic School Park.

However, having successfully evacuated the traders to the new site at Atomic, several factions purported to be from the Kwabenya traditional authorities, emerged claiming ownership of the land and in the process began to allocate spaces to prospective traders for container shops and stalls in blatant disregard to the Assembly's plan for its use.

Hon. Janet Tulasi Mensah noted that the Assembly issued out several warnings through public announcements in and around the market, marked the unauthorized structures and engaged the traditional authorities in a bid to sanitize the site and allow the Assembly to take full charge of the use of the land.

She said the exercise was necessary owing to the defiant attitudes of the claimants of the land to back off and curb the speedily indiscriminate and wanton usurpation of the Assembly's authority in allocating spaces for trading purposes.

"We're aware, historically, that the traditional authorities are the custodians of lands but this land has been acquired by the State through an Executive Instrument (EI 75), and so it is no longer under their authority", the MCE said.

She continued, that, "For about two weeks we've been carrying out announcements at the place warning people not to bring containers there but people flouted our orders and brought in containers. It is time for us all to be law-abiding and help safeguard the only place the Assembly has to advance its development agenda".

The MCE further disclosed plans by the Assembly to develop the land into a modern trading centre to boost the economy of the municipality and enhance the socio-economic lives of the people.

"After our engagement with the factions, they agreed to allow the Assembly to take charge of allocating spaces, and then we have our own drawings for a modernized economic centre and that motivated our moving those who are putting containers anyhow on our space", she stated.

She appealed to the public to cooperate with and support the Assembly to enable it implement the plan for use of the land to their own benefit.

Currently, the Assembly is walling the site in fulfillment of its part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with GAEC to secure their land and ward off encroachers.