Combined Traders Association of Kumasi City Market have vowed to resist any attempt by the Managers to close the facility for one more week.
According to the leadership of the traders, together with transport operators, they will go to the facility and engage in their usual activities despite the board’s directive.
Following a fire outbreak at the market complex on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, stakeholders in the facility agreed to close the area for three days to allow security officials to check the structural integrity of the affected building.
However, the traders in a press release on Sunday, March 19, 2023, said they have sighted a letter from the board and management of the market which suggests the extension of the closure date for another seven days.
According to the traders, they have resolved to defy the directive of the board.
“Let no one take us the traders and transport operators for granted. It is very clear that since the board has a constant source of living they don’t care what source of livelihood the traders and transport operators depend on. Well, we wish to serve notice to the public that Kejetia [market] will be opened for trading on Monday. We will not accept the further one week closure,” parts of the statement read.
The traders have also blamed the board and management for not taking proactive measures to prevent the situation.
“We wish to put these questions forward:
1. What did the board do with the numerous warnings from the fire service, a copy of one of the warning letters is attached to this release.
2. What is the board trying to hide from the public? Is it their incompetence or ineptitude or their reluctance to act and supervise effectively when they needed to do so?
3. So what have they done within the four (4) days after the market was closed down? We can confidently say when given one(1) full year they can’t do anything to help us.
4. Why is the board playing romance with the management specifically the managing director? Is he their errand boy who does their bidding, so they don’t want to touch him?
5. Why do we still have the Board Chairman and the managing director at posts after supervising this disaster? They must go now before we proceed.
6. We were told all the juicy stories about the Kejetia Market. Is anyone trying to cover up the lie they told us about the structural integrity of the market?
7. Has the board taken notice of the traders who deal in perishable goods and that even the three days have a negative impact on the market?
8. How is the board going to compensate traders who are certainly going to lose customers to stiff competitors around the Kejetia Market?
9. Is the board going to take responsibility for the daily earnings of traders?
10 For the number of days traders do not trade, will the management have the courage and boldness to ask for service charges from traders when the market is opened.
11. Where was the board that we are told is to show up as though they cared so much and have been working so much when in actual fact it has been sleeping and allowing the Kejetia market to deteriorate?
12. We have heard the repetition of the word structural integrity, wow, does the board really care about the structural engineer of Kejetia? Where were they when seven incidents of burst pipelines destroyed traders’ Wares for which 33 traders are in court with Kumasi city Market limited? Today, fire has exposed them big time, so they want to buy time and hide their shameful faces”.
They also called on President Akufo-Addo to intervene.
Read the full statement here: