Bryan Acheampong proposes to rebuild burnt Adum shops

The Member of Parliament  for Abetifi Constituency, Dr Bryan Acheampong, has proposed to rebuild the burnt shops at Blue Light -Adum, Kumasi, if the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and city authorities give the go ahead.

Dr Acheampong made the proposal yesterday at Adum when he made a cash donation to the executives of Kejetia Market to help support the affected traders.

"I am waiting for Otumfuo to arrive from abroad. I would meet with him to share my proposal with him.

Once Otumfuo and city authorities approve it, I will rebuild the shops, complete it in a year for affected traders to move in and continue their trading activity", he said.

Donation

Dr Acheampong, accompanied by some Members of Parliament in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and other party faithfuls, donated  GH¢300,000 to the executive of Kejetia Market.

Also at the same event, he announced that he was donating GH¢500,000 to support the victims of the Kantamanto fire incident in Accra.

Explaining why he was supporting the victims of the two fire incidents, Dr Acheampong said that was the best way to show empathy towards the victims, as their losses were not just personal but impacted the economy of the country.

While he is ready to do his part to rebuild the market, the Abetifi MP entreated other benevolent bodies and individuals not to cease donating to the people because this was the time they needed such financial support most, in order to resume their trading activities as soon as possible.

"We are going to do all we can to, as a matter of urgency,  help put our affected brothers and sisters (affected traders) back to their feet to continue to do business and find a living for themselves and their dependants", he noted.

No blame game

Dr Acheampong said this was not the time for blame games, but rather the time to galvanise  resources to revive the Adum Market which served the northern part of the country and neighbouring West African countries.

He appealed to the traders not to lose hope since their activities did not have a bearing on their livelihoods but had economic impact on Ghana's growth.

Dr Acheampong's arrival was welcomed by the hundreds of traders, who ushered him round the affected shops before he finally addressed the traders via a megaphone.

The traders kept cheering him on chanting “B A..B.A...B.A”, an abbreviation of his name.

Some of the women laid their cloths for him to pass on, as an appreciation for his visit, even before he made the pronouncement.

After he made the pronouncement, the whole Blue Light -Adum enclave, turned into jubilation, as traders continued to cheer him on.

“This is what we have been waiting to hear. You are a man, in deed. We are forever grateful", Akua Durowaa, one of the affected traders.

Fires

Two storey buildings housing several shops were destroyed in a fire outbreak at the popular Blue Light arena at Adum in Kumasi on March 21.

Most of the shops that were affected dealt in mobile phones and accessories, jewellery and clothing.

Similarly, victims of the Kantamanto Market which was also razed down last January 1, have also received donations to help set them up again.