The reconstructed Akyem Oda Central Market, which was inaugurated by former President Nana Ado Dankwa Akufo-Addo in November 2024, will eventually have its stalls allocated to traders after a series of controversies halted the exercise.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Birim Central, Solomon Kusi-Brako, announced this at a press conference which was also attended by a section of the market women at Oda last Wednesday.
He partly attributed the delay in the market stores/stalls allocation to the non-involvement of the municipal assembly in the reconstruction process of the market and so did not have the relevant documents on the facility.
Besides, he said some concerned traders placed a court injunction on the allocation of the market stores/stalls.
Mr Kusi-Brako said after being tossed up and down between the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council (ERCC) and the District Assemblies Common Fund Secretariat for a long time, he had eventually received the documents, which had made it possible for the municipal assembly to make the allocation.
Allocation
He announced that the original owners of the market stores/stalls would be offered the allocation first before considering the new applicants.
The MCE commended the traders who placed the court injunction on the market for reaching a peaceful agreement with him to withdraw the injunction from the court to facilitate the allocation of the stores/stalls.
He stated that the reconstructed market had enough space to accommodate more traders than the previous one, as the new facility had more stores/stalls.
Mr Kusi-Brako apologised to the traders for the inconvenience caused to them due to the delay in the allocation of the market stores/stalls.
Abrogated
The MCE said the assembly had abrogated an agreement signed between the ERCC and a company known as Ms Haj Ventures, under which the former was to manage the market for 10 years by collecting a monthly revenue of 10 per cent from the municipal assembly.
He warned that any owner of the market stores/stalls who would sublet the facility would be sanctioned by the municipal assembly.
The MCE was grateful to former President Akufo-Addo and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, for providing Oda with such an infrastructure.
When this reporter contacted Mr Akwasi Acquah, who is currently out of the country, on the issue, he said he was not aware of the intended allocation of the market stores/stalls, as nobody had informed him of the issue.
