Traders at Tema Community One Market appeal for security

Traders at the Tema Community One Market have appealed to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to provide them with security to ensure their safety and also prevent frequent thefts in the market.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Traders Association, Mr Joseph Kwabena Andoh, said some traders had lost their capital due to criminal activities that usually occurred at night.

He attributed the situation to poor lighting in the market coupled with the weak condition of the main gate to the market.

Mr Andoh was speaking at an open forum of the First Ordinary Meeting of the Third Session of the Tema Municipal Assembly last Thursday.

Concerns

The PRO also bemoaned the high rates of taxes and tolls charged for stores, sheds and stalls by the TMA and called on the assembly to review the fees downwards.

He further urged the TMA to decongest the city by clearing hawkers off the streets to ensure order in the Central Business District.

Also seeking a downward review of rates charged by the TMA was the Tema Chapter of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) which was represented by a member of its executive, Mr John Mantey.

He said in certain instances, as high as 300 per cent charges were slapped on members.

Assurance

The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) for Tema, Mr Felix Mensah Nii Annang-La, assured traders and members of the GIFF that their grievances would be addressed.

He said the assembly recently cleared the central business area of hawkers and illegal structures and indicated that the exercise would be sustained. Nii Annang-La added that as part of measures to give public schools a facelift under the Tema Restoration Agenda, the assembly had adopted a strategy called “Operation adopt a school.”

He said 20 companies had so far expressed interest in adopting a school to help improve education in the metropolis.

Sanitation

Some members of the assembly bemoaned the sanitation situation on the assembly’s own premises, describing it as businessunfriendly.

An assembly member for the Sahara Electoral Area in Tema Community Eight, Mr Francis Davis Mills, also observed that the assembly was gradually being turned into a scrap yard for abandoned vehicles.
Writer's email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh