As announced by Vice President Dr Mahamudud Bawumia, the Kejetia Market has been opened for trading activities today Tuesday, March 21.
The resumption of market activities has come as a relief to traders who were bent on not complying with the directive of management and board for further shut down of the facility for one more week.
The fire outbreak at the facility led to a decision by the management of the facility to shut it down.
Portions of the facility were gutted by fire last week.
After an initial three days, another decision was taken to shut down the unaffected areas by one week and the affected area indefinitely.
However, on Monday, March 20 when he visited the facility, Vice President Bawumia said per engagement with the management of the facility and experts, particularly the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO, the traders can reoccupy their stalls from Tuesday.
“If anything affects you, it affects me and everyone,” he sympathised with the teeming traders, who had resisted the decision by the authorities to shut down the facility by one more week.
“I was taken round, especially where the incident happened. The shops were 33 out of 8,000. I asked the Fire Service and NADMO officials as regards the cause,” the Vice President said.
He said the cause of the fire has been identified and assurance has been given that since it is not an electrical fault, the market will be open from Tuesday to safeguard the livelihood of the agitated traders.
Dr Bawumia on Monday revealed that the Market fire was caused by the explosion of an unattended cooking gas cylinder.
“I asked the Ghana National Fire Service and and NADMO what caused the fire and they told me that their investigations revealed that someone, a trader who was cooking in her shop using a gas stove and that was the fire started, close to a nearby chemical shop, where they sell gunpowder, carbide, turpentine that resulted in the explosion, he said after he visited the facility to inspect the extent of damage caused by last Wednesday’s fire.