Asenso Boakye addressing the media
Members of Parliament (MPs) in Kumasi have joined the leadership of the Garages Association to assess the impact of the fire outbreak that occurred at the Suame Magazine a fortnight ago.
The group also commiserated with the affected persons in the devastating fire.
The delegation included Francis Asenso Boakye, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Lawyer John Darko, Michael Akwasi Aidoo and Lawyer Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, Members of Parliament of Bantama, Tafo Pankrono, Suame, Oforikrom and Manhyia South constituencies respectively.
The devastating fire caused damage to several cars, spare parts, and oil marketing shops with losses amounting to millions of Ghana cedis.
A preliminary investigation by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) discovered that a power outage started the inferno, affecting shops specialized in battery servicing, welding, spraying, lubrication services, lathe machine operations, and many others.
Speaking to the media, Chairman of the Kumasi bloc of MPs, Francis Asenso Boakye, pledged to collaborate with authorities in finding lasting solutions to prevent future fire disasters in the area, reaffirming their commitment to the well-being of the constituents.
The Bantama Legislator shared concerns regarding the fire’s potential causes, such as unplanned settlements, the use of temporary building materials, and the widespread practice of illegal electrical connections.
He called for the immediate need for stricter safety regulations within the market and improved urban planning by relevant authorities.
“The primary cause of this is because all these informal business settlements and a place for these mechanics are not well planned and as a result, anybody at all would just put up a structure and build something on it.
Secondly, the materials they (settlers) use to build these structures are primarily temporal materials such as wood, and plastic materials so when these catch fire, the spread becomes more devastating,” he stated.
Mr. Asenso Boakye disclosed that plans were underway to engage the various stakeholders including the government, traditional rulers, the garages associations, and market Queens to come together and find a solution to this perennial fire outbreak that is affecting businesses in Kumasi.
He complained about the issue of illegal electrical connections in the settlement and the lack of proper planning.
The former minister of Roads and Highways under the Akufo-Addo administration also called on the Ghana Fire Service to enforce strict safety measures in this informal settlement and other areas to avert future fire outbreaks.
For his part, Member of Parliament for the Tafo Pankrono Constituency, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, admonished public and private entities to prioritise insurance schemes and interventions, to cushion victims of the perennial fires.
Ashanti Regional chairman of the Ghana National Association of Garages, Alhaji Lukeman Mohammed Nuhu Appiadu, appealed for a technological facelift of the Suame Magazine to upgrade safety and innovativeness.
FROM David Afum, Kumasi