The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has criticized the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for putting up a market with inadequate structural planning for traders in the central business district.

This comes after a fire gutted Accra’s Makola Shopping Mall over the weekend, resulting in the destruction of approximately 200 makeshift structures.

Items including jewelry, perfumes, wigs, cosmetics, hair products, and dresses worth millions of Ghana cedis were consumed by the late-night inferno.

Fortunately, there were no reported casualties, although the cause of the fire remains unknown.

Speaking to Citi News during an inspection tour of the market, the director of communication for GUTA, Joseph Padi, appealed to SSNIT to step in to ensure the safety of local markets and demanded immediate help for the victims.

“What we saw on the ground is inhumane. It is like a cubicle. Our members were telling us that they pay almost everything from rent to refuse fees. We are asking what SSNIT is going to do for the traders because they have been badly affected.”