The Chief of Staff, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei Opare, has cut the sod for the construction of a market at Dome in Accra. The project will be financed by the government and undertaken by Prolux Investment Limited at an estimated cost of GH¢9.4 million.

It is expected to be completed within eight months.

Facilities at the market will include 100 sheds, a clinic, cold stores, washrooms, police and fire stations and a day care centre.

Interest of women

Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony last Wednesday, Mrs Osei Opare said the government had the interest of women in the country at heart which was why it was ready to support with a market.

“The President acknowledges the role of women in the country,” she emphasised.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Mrs Sarah Adwoa Safo Mouhtiseb, said the new market could accommodate more than 2,000 traders, many of whom were selling on street pavements.

She urged the market women to cooperate with the contractor during the period of construction in order for work to proceed unhindered.

“Men and women sellers, I urge you to cooperate with the contractor for a speedy construction process,” Mrs Safo Mouhtiseb said.

She said she was also going to support the traders with loans that would come without interest in order for them to enhance their livelihoods.

“I am partnering the Abokobi Rural Bank and the Prudential Bank to give loans without interest to support your business,” she said.

The Municipal Chief Executive of the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Mrs Janet Tulasi Mensah, said the traders would be given registration cards which would legitimise their share of ownership in the market.

She said the cards would be issued before any shop or shed was allocated.

Inauguration of Taifa-Burkina Market

From the Dome Market, the Chief of Staff moved to the Taifa-Burkina Market where she set in motion the construction of a 72-stall and a storage facility.

Mrs Osei Opare said the market would serve as a bulk-breaking centre and would attract traders from other markets within and outside the municipality.

She urged the market leaders to sit with the market planner and come up with a plan that was modern and serviceable such that parts could be used as a car park and for selling various kinds of foodstuff.

“I plead with the market leaders to sit with the planner and come up with a design that incorporates all aspects of a modern market,” she said.

MCE

The MCE said she would make sure that traders doing business on pavements were relocated to the market when it was ready, “to allow for beautification and easy traffic flow along our main roads.”

The Taifa-Burkina Market project is being funded by the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives in association with the MP for Dome-Kwabenya.

Source: Graphic.com.gh