Henry Quartey
The Greater Accra Regional Minister yesterday presented an amount of GH¢500,000 relief package to onion traders who are scheduled to relocate to a new site at Adjen Kotoku on July 1, 2021.
The presentation was also done alongside the formal handing-over of the facility to the traders.
Making the presentation to various trader unions at the new site to facilitate the transportation of their products to the new Ga West Municipality location, the minister said of the amount GH¢300,000 will be allocated to the onion sellers as the remainder would be shared among non-onion sellers at the location.
A breakdown of the GH¢20,000 is as follows: GH¢100,000 for cattle and sheep rearers, GH¢50,000 for scrap dealers and GH¢50,000 for squatters.
The minister in his remarks to the stakeholders during the durbar said, “Government is making available GH¢500,000. I want to reiterate that it is for transportation to Adjen Kotoku.”
Another highlight of the event was the immediate banning of onion-laden trucks from entering the Agbogbloshie Market.
The order constitutes part of measures taken towards the relocation of onion traders to the new site at the Adjen Kotoku Market Complex located in the Ga West Municipal Assembly.
The movement forms part of the Regional Minister’s ‘Let’s Make Accra Work’ project with an aim of decongesting the central business district and improving on the general sanitation situation of Accra.
He also intimated that a committee, comprising of the Members of Parliament (MPs) for the Ablekuma Central, Binduri and Garu-Tempani constituencies, together with representatives from the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and the office of the Chief Imam would be formed to see to the distribution of the funds.
More Support
Mr. Quartey assured the traders that “we will do everything in our power to ensure that this environment is made humane for you.”
Plans, he disclosed, are underway for the construction of six new more sheds, a car park and a washing bay.
Government, he added, is considering re-asphalting the roads in the community as more infrastructural development is expected to come.
Financial institutions were also on their way to the community, willing to provide the youths with capital to start up their businesses.
Deadline
Prior to the commencement of the handing over ceremony, the onion traders had rejected the new facility chanting, ‘bei yi’, ‘enye’ to wit ‘it is not acceptable’ in the Hausa and Twi languages.
They cited concerns with the size of the market and the place not being good enough to boost their business as their reasons for the rejection.
However, the Regional Minister in his address insisted that his outfit still maintains its position on the July 1 deadline for evacuation of the traders from the Agbogbloshie market.
Appeal
Nii Amoah Akromansah VII, Chief of Amoahman appealed for more infrastructure, including more senior high schools as well as the construction of dormitories for existing boarding schools so as to enable them admit eligible students from other communities and regions.
While commending the Regional Minister and his team for the effective engagement with the traditional rulers and the painstaking efforts in seeing to the fruition of the initiative, he expressed the hope that the operation of the market will bring the needed development to the Adjen Kotoku community and its environs.
In attendance at the event were high profile dignitaries including the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharubutu, traditional leaders from the Ga Traditional Council, representatives from the RCC, state security agencies and media as well as heads of political parties.
By Nii Adjei Mensahfio