Traders at the Madina Market in Accra have threatened to cease payment of the daily market toll of GHC2.00 should the Local Government Authority fail to develop the market.
The Madina Market, which is one of the biggest trading centres in Accra, ranks second behind the Makola and Agbogloshie markets.
The market plays an important role in the livelihood of an estimated 500,000 people who patronize it annually. It covers an estimated 87,000 m2 with open markets, stall shops, parking and other facilities. Each trader pays two Ghana cedis as market tolls.
Speaking on TV3’s Community Manifesto, the traders said the revenue generated should be reinvested into improving the market’s infrastructure.
“They take two cedis from us, yet the market is not clean. We used to pay 50 pesewas during Mahama’s era, yet the market was clean. Our roads are bad, and we struggle to get transport to the market. Those that work in the evening also charge exorbitant prices. We want the Assembly to use the tolls to develop the market for us,” one trader lamented.
Some traders who fell victim to a fire outbreak earlier this year, which led to the destruction of over 50 retail and wholesale shops called on government to provide stimulus packages to enable them bounce back.
“Instead of giving us money to invest in our business, they came to measure spaces that they are going to allocate to us. But that is not what we need we expect them to use the tolls we pay to reconstruct the market for us,” an affected trader demanded.
Assembly Member for the area also called on the authorities in municipality to judiciously allocate some funds to develop the market.
“Projects in Madina that were started prior to the 2020 elections are stalled. They award contracts to party members without our notice,” the Assembly Member indicated.
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia during his visit to the Madina market after the market was razed by fire, pledged government’s resolve to reconstruct the market into a two and three-storey edifice.
When completed, it would contain 120 stores, 78 smaller shops, fire tender base, revenue offices, banking spaces and sanitation facilities.
Source:onuaonline.com