The situation at Suame roundabout area after the new directive from Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah
Hawkers and traders have taken over footbridges, roadsides, intersections and roundabouts in the Ashanti Region.
The concerned authorities want to halt the practice, yet those who engage in it have been resisting the move.
Trading activities have been bustling at Suame and Ejisu roundabouts, Bantama main streets, Tafo roads and many other areas in the region. Major trading activities in these areas grow by the day, providing jobs and incomes for residents who do everything from selling and buying food items and other consumables to displaying their wares, sometimes, in the middle of the road.
But now, the government wants all trading activities on the footbridges, roadsides, intersections and roundabouts to cease with immediate effect. Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, in a statement, said the practice does not only create chaotic scenes and piles of refuse, but also endangers the lives of traders, hawkers and the general public.
He therefore asked all traders and hawkers to relocate to markets within the region since no trader or hawker would be allowed to operate at these illegal locations in the region.
The regional coordinating council, with support from city authorities, had previously evicted hundreds of traders from the areas after setting a deadline for them to vacate.
In the run-up to the deadline, some of the traders protested against the move, arguing that the stoppage and relocation would destroy their incomes; but they reluctantly moved.
Nevertheless, traders and hawkers in these areas are adamant that their choice of place for trading activities cannot be changed; they are back on the streets again, competing with cars and trucks for the road.
On market day at Ejisu, the Kumasi-Accra highway is usually bustling with trading activities, creating congestion and causing traffic buildups. Dozens of traders hang around on the pavements and on the road, selling and waiting for customers.
At Suame roundabout close to the Suame Police Divisional Headquarters, traders display their wares along the road amidst heavy trucks plying the road.
One trader said: “I want my children to have a better future than I did. If I don’t trade, I can’t give them any money. I have to earn money for my kids and family.”
Trading on pavements, on the road, intersections and roundabouts are considered to be illegal but getting the traders to relocate to markets has always been a difficult task for officials because of political expediency and unwillingness to shutter incomes.
However, authorities in the region say they are serious about stopping trading activities at illegal and unapproved locations, with the Ashanti Regional Minister warning recalcitrant operators of damming consequences.
He is worried about the dangers associated with trading at these locations and the impact of such activities on the image of the city.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi