By Victoria Agyemang
Anomabo (C/R), Jan 20, GNA – The newly constructed Anomabo market, completed two years ago, remains locked and unused at the edge of the town, with its iron sheets gleaming under the sun and neatly arranged stalls lined up as soldiers on parade.
Just a few meters away, market women in the Mfantseman Municipality continue to display their wares on the roadside along the busy Accra-Takoradi highway, exposing themselves and customers to danger from speeding vehicles.
Cars, buses and trucks roar past, horns blaring and dust rising with every screech of brakes, creating a daily atmosphere of fear for the traders.
A near-fatal accident last week prompted the traders to petition the Municipal Assembly to hand over the new market to them to avert future tragedies.
Mena Esi Kesiwa, a trader, voiced her frustration: “Sisters, the new market built with our sweat and taxes is lying idle, while we risk our lives every day selling by the roadside.”
She recounted how a child narrowly escaped being crushed by a truck while assisting her mother.
Angry murmurs rippled through the crowd as the Ghana News Agency observed activities at the improvised roadside market.
“We have come here today to call on the Assembly to hand over this market to us,” Mena added, warning that the facility must be protected and cleaned to prevent deterioration or the traders would resort to demonstrations.
Madam Adjoa Baawa, another trader, questioned whether the Assembly was waiting for a fatal accident before relocating the women, who have endured hazardous conditions for nearly five years.
She accused the Assembly of giving excuses without addressing the traders’ plight.
The women alleged that the Assembly initially planned to allocate stalls to individuals who were not part of the market community.
Some hinted that incomplete pavement works might be delaying the market’s opening.
Responding to the concerns, Mr Eric Stanley Acquah, Municipal Chief Executive of Mfantseman, appealed for calm, assuring the traders that the Assembly was working with the government to complete the remaining works and make the market operational.
He urged collaboration to resolve the matter amicably.
The government awarded the GH¢3.1 million project to Serbert Investment in 2020 for the construction of 60 lockable stores, a two-storey building, washrooms and a car park.
Although completed in 2024, the market has remained under lock and key, forcing traders to continue selling by the roadside.
GNA
Edited by Alice Tettey/Lydia Kukua Asamoah