By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, Nov. 05, GNA – The Union of Informal Workers Associations (UNIWA) has rejected the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s (AMA) directive ordering traders occupying unauthorised bus stops across the metropolis to vacate within 48 hours, threatening a demonstration if the directive is enforced without consultation.
The Union said the directive was premature, coming shortly after it, and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) had concluded engagements with the relevant authorities on trading spaces, bus stops and the orderly use of public areas.
In a statement issued to the Ghana News Agency, on Thursday, in Accra, responding to the AMA press release issued on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the UNIWA expressed disappointment that the Assembly had issued the ultimatum without allowing the outcomes of the recent discussions to take effect or undertaking further inclusive dialogue.
It acknowledged concerns about traffic flow and public safety but rejected what it described as the manner in which the directive had been communicated.
The UNIWA also cautioned commercial drivers against threatening traders or demanding their removal from lorry stations and bus stops, saying they had no legal authority to enforce such directives.
“Commercial drivers are neither the Police nor city authorities. They have no legal power or mandate to issue threats or demand the removal of traders from lorry stations and bus stops,” the statement said.
The Union declared that traders would not accept the directive in its current form and warned that hawkers, traders and street vendors were prepared to embark on a demonstration if the planned enforcement proceeded without proper consultation and alternative arrangements.
It said informal traders and hawkers sustained the livelihoods of thousands of families and played a vital role in Accra’s economy.
An immediate forced eviction without meaningful engagement, adequate notice or the provision of alternative trading spaces, it said, would worsen the economic hardships of affected workers and could trigger confrontations.
The UNIWA, therefore, called on the AMA and the Mayor of Accra, Mr Michael Kpakpo Allotey, to immediately suspend the 48-hour deadline and any planned enforcement exercise.
It also urged the Assembly to respect the outcomes of its recent engagements with the TUC, initiate urgent discussions with UNIWA and representatives of affected traders, and provide suitable alternative trading spaces.
The Union said it remained committed to constructive engagement towards a peaceful and fair resolution but warned that any attempt to forcibly remove traders without due process would be met with the mobilisation of hawkers, traders and street vendors.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Hafsa Obeng
Reporter’s email address: [email protected]