Abinkyi Market traders in Kumasi demonstrate
Traders at the Adehyeman Afia Kobi Apem Market at Abinkyi in Kumasi have demonstrated against the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).
The traders, who numbered more than 1,000, wore red and black attires and carried placards some of which read,“wake up KMA”, “enforce the laws for us KMA”, ‘Yerebre’, ‘our businesses are collapsing’ and ‘save our businesses Mayor’, as they marched through the principal streets and ended finally at the chief executive’s office.
The protest march began amid tight security from the Abinkyi Market through to Adum and ended on the premises of the KMA, where executive members of the group presented their demands orally to the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Kojo Bonsu.
The traders claimed that certain aspects of the assembly’s activities were impacting negatively on their businesses, leading to reduced sales which was affecting them considerably.
They said the inability of the KMA to compel other traders in satellite markets, as well as street vendors, to move to the Adehyeman Afia Kobi Apem Market to trade was also affecting their daily sales.
They alleged that most of the stalls and stores in the new market were owned by people who were trading on the streets of the metropolis.
According to the traders, almost two years after the completion of the new market, many people who owned shops, stalls and sheds have refused to move to the market. Because of this, many shops remain closed, giving the impression of low trading activity and low patronage.
The Abinkyi Market was put up for traders who were moved from the Kumasi Race Course to pave way for the construction of the Sunshine City project which is expected to comprise a multi-purpose world class shopping mall, an amusement park and fitness centre, a fully-equipped clinic of international standard with an ambulance station and a helicopter pad.
The Secretary of the Adehyeman Afia Kobi Market Traders Association, Mr Tuffour Acheampong, in an interview with the Daily Graphic after the demonstration, urged the KMA to enforce the laws that ban selling on streets in order to compel owners of the abandoned shops, stores and sheds to move to the market.
“As law abiding citizens of the land, we have moved to the Abinkyi Market from the Race Course hoping that other traders would also move there to enhance trading activities,” he said.
He attributed the low patronage of customers in the market to the empty sheds which were a disincentive for people who came there to purchase goods.
Mr Acheampong also called on the KMA Chief Executive to seek a court order to compel the recalcitrant traders to move to the Abenkyi Market or forfeit their trading post allocations.
Mr Bonsu received the petition from the executives of the association and promised to get in touch with the other stakeholders to ensure that those who had stores and stalls in the new market moved in.
