In what some people have described as a calculated PR stunt rather than genuine compassion, a small group of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament led by Alexander Afenyo-Markin, staged a dramatic visit to the Kantamanto Market under the guise of offering sympathy and support to victims of the January fire outbreak.
The visit, which took place on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, saw the MPs distribute a GH₵200,000 cash donation to affected traders — a gesture some onlookers saw more as a photo opportunity than a meaningful intervention.
Critics say the event was choreographed to score political points, with Afenyo-Markin and his entourage being welcomed with cheers by a section of the market crowd. Detractors claim the “cheers” appeared more orchestrated than organic — part of a narrative being shaped ahead of the 2024 election aftermath and the NPP’s attempt to regain public trust.
“Sympathy has become political theatre,” one trader remarked. “Where were these MPs when we were sleeping in the ashes for days? Now they come with cameras and donations, expecting applause?”
Afenyo-Markin, the MP for Effutu, used the occasion to deliver a message of solidarity, stating that “the Minority Caucus stands with you.” He also took the opportunity to call for national unity and urged victims not to let politics divide them — a curious message, given the overtly partisan makeup of the delegation.
Also present were the Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh and his First Deputy Jerry Ahmed Shaib who is the MP for Weija Gbawe, alongside former MASLOC Boss – Afua Akoto, and some regional NPP executives. The MPs joined traders in prayer and promised to take their plight to Parliament — a promise many say they’ve heard too many times before.
The visit follows a similar one to Kumasi’s Adum PZ Market where another GH₵200,000 was handed over to fire victims — again, under heavy media coverage.
In a moment that left some traders visibly uncomfortable, Afenyo-Markin called on President John Dramani Mahama and the current NDC administration to fast-track reconstruction efforts, even though many consider this issue to be a long-standing one ignored by successive governments, including the NPP’s own previous administration.
Market leader Aikins Boakye Mensah, while thanking the MPs for their support, subtly reminded all political actors that “the real help will come not from donations but from long-term solutions.”
As the dust settles on the Kantamanto visit, many are asking: was this a genuine show of solidarity — or just another political parade designed to “collect cheers” for the cameras?
Source: GhanaNewsOnline