Decongestion begins in Accra - Minister leads charge

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Henry Quartey, yesterday set his ‘Make Accra Work’ plan into action by storming the central business district (CBD) to clear off traders who had illegally occupied the pavements.

The exercise, undertaken by the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), with support from the security agencies, was to get rid of structures on the shoulders of roads, clear traders who obstruct pedestrian movement off the pavements and allow for the free flow of vehicular traffic.

Traders in various items, from food to jewellery, had occupied the pavements.

Mr Quartey, accompanied by some military men and policemen, stormed the CBD with a bulldozer for the exercise.

There were also some officials from the Forestry Commission (FC) who were present to provide assistance on how the beauty of the area could be re-ignited.

The exercise followed publications by the Daily Graphic on traders who had abandoned their secure trading areas within designated parts of the metropolis and were doing business on the streets and pavements.

The exercise

The first port of call for the minister and his team was the Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, where moulds had been constructed in the median of the road.

When the team arrived, it was observed that traders selling all manner of items, including clothes, shoes, bags, cosmetics, assorted food items and beverages, sanitary products, jewellery, herbal medicine and utensils, were seated behind their wares doing business.

Within three hours, the exercise was over, with the once congested area being cleared and pedestrians moving briskly.

The FC team got to work immediately to see what could be done to plant trees and restore the greenery.

Traders react

Surprised by the unannounced visit, the traders were given the opportunity to move their wares to avoid getting them destroyed.

The traders cooperated and carted their wares, mini stalls and tables away.

While some traders were visibly upset, as they were heard casting insinuations to express their anger, others commended the RCC for the action, admitting that their activities had affected the beautification of the area.

Although many of the traders claimed they had not been informed officially to leave the pavements and other illegal places for doing business, they said they were ready to stop trading at their present locations and appealed for stalls and shops to be allocated to them for free.

"I will relocate to any space provided by the city authorities who want to keep Accra clean, but l do not have money to pay any huge amount of money to anyone before l am allotted space," a trader who deals in children's wear around Kantamanto, Ms Selina Adjoa Yamoah, said.

“When I came here, this whole area was covered with trees and grass, but because many also came to join, the whole place was turned into a busy market hub and the trees were cut down to create more spaces for our activities,” one of the traders said.

“I know selling here is wrong, but I don’t have any other option. I sell second-hand clothing and the money I make from it is not enough to rent a shop or a shed and I can’t also carry them on my head, so selling on the pavement is the only available option I have,” she added.

Another trader, Joy Kugblenu, said: “l am a petty trader. I buy and sell tomatoes, which l display on a pan. Life has not been easy and it is frustrating when l have to worry all the time about city guards coming to evict me anytime of the day."

"It is not my wish to sell on the pavement, but that is what l can do for now to make ends meet. I will starve to death with my two children, as l am a single mother," she lamented.

Relocation should ensure patronage

About 10 metres away from the Accra Central Police Station, Christian Motey was seen pushing a trolley on which he had displayed toothbrushes and a variety of toothpaste for sale.

The 27-year-old Motey said he was ready to move into any market in any part of the city for his trading activities if the plan to relocate traders would include plans to ensure patrons bought from the traders.

"Often, traders are moved and there are no efforts to get the people to patronise those markets. The Odawna Pedestrian Mall is a good example of how traders are relocated to designated markets without plans to get buyers to patronise the goods and services the traders offer," he explained.

Another male trader, Mr Eugene Arthur, who sells around the CMB enclave, said: "We are tired of hearing about traders being relocated, shops being demolished and the AMA Task Force going after traders. We are ready for any action that will be taken by the authorities."

Reviving Accra

Speaking to the media after the exercise, Mr Quartey said he had to personally be on the scene for the exercise because the traders had ignored earlier warnings from his office for them to move before the deadline.

The minister indicated that the original architectural design of the area, particularly the median, was not meant for people to sell or stalls and shops to be built there.

“I have already engaged with the market queens and I’ve been made aware that there are empty shops in the markets, but for reasons best known to these traders, they are refusing to occupy those shops.

“Since they’ve decided not to comply with the law, we will use legal force to get them off. This is not Rambo-style that leaves destruction or fear in its trail.

“We are not saying people should not fend for themselves or earn a living; they must do so, but within the confines of the law.

“What is wrong is wrong and it must be corrected, so that we bring discipline back into the way we do our things to make Accra work,” Mr Quartey added.