Stop 'examining' foodstuffs before buying them – market women to buyers

The President of the Greater Accra Market Women Association, Madam Mercy Naa Afrowa Needham, has appealed to the public to desist from the practice of physically touching foodstuffs in the markets to weigh them before buying.

According to her, the practice of physically turning foodstuffs in-and-out in the market is unhygienic and could help spread COVID-19, particularly if the person touching the foodstuff has the disease.

She said many people who go to the markets to buy foodstuffs such as cassava continually keep picking food items to weigh and examine them in their hands before settling on which one to buy.

Madam Mercy Needham was speaking at an event organised by the Alliance of Feminists CSOs in collaboration with Plan International Ghana to mark this year’s International Women’s Day on Monday.

The event, which was on the theme: “Women in Leadership- Achieving Equal Future in a COVID-19 World," brought together leaders and members of civil society organisations, international organisations, feminists, politicians and leaders of state owned institutions and politically inclined young females, journalists and students.

The programme was also used to deliberate and propose strategies to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on women and children especially on girls in Ghana.

COVID-19 measures

Madam Naa Afrowa Needham said since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, market women all over the country have suffered unduly.

She explained that the leadership of the various market centres across the country in their attempts to help contain the disease, have ensured that COVID-19 safety protocols are strictly adhered to in the markets.

That, she added, aside from ensuring compliance with the wearing of nose masks and social distancing, market leaders have also introduced shift systems to help decongest the markets.

Madam Naa Afrowa Needham said that COVID-19 could be defeated in the country only if all individuals play their roles well, by adhering to the safety protocols.

Education

She also urged parents to prioritise the education of their children, particularly the girl child, suggesting that the market centres will no more accept uneducated people.

She also explained that many formal workers after retirement join the markets and so the various markets are becoming a place for the literate and therefore girls who do not go to school with the mindset of joining the market will be disappointed.

Extolling the essence of education, Madam Naa Afrowa Needham said she personally joined the market as a professional teacher and her education has helped a lot in her business, saying that education in every work is very important.