Traders at the Takoradi New Market have threatened to suspend all payments to the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) from July 1, 2026, over what they describe as the government’s failure to complete the Takoradi Central Market redevelopment project.
They say they will no longer pay market tolls, store rents, or any other fees collected by the Assembly until their concerns receive attention.
The traders have also announced plans to move back to the unfinished Market Circle before the end of July if authorities continue to remain silent on the project’s future.
The decision was announced during a press conference organised by the Concerned Traders of Takoradi New Market/Central Market on June 30.
Addressing the media, the group’s Convener, Lamisi Adam, said traders had lost confidence after waiting nearly five years at the temporary market site.
She explained that they had accepted the relocation because they were assured the project would be completed within about two years.
Instead, she said, the delay has placed many businesses under severe financial pressure. Traders now struggle with poor roads within the market, inadequate drainage, sanitation problems, limited access for customers, and a steady decline in sales.
According to her, these conditions have made it increasingly difficult for traders to earn enough to support their families.
Lamisi Adam stated that the traders had exhausted every peaceful means of seeking answers. She said they had held several meetings with the authorities and even organised a peaceful demonstration, yet no official had provided a clear update on the progress of the redevelopment, its expected completion date, or when traders would return to their permanent shops.
She described the lack of information as deeply disappointing.
“We have waited patiently for years, but the silence and uncertainty are becoming unbearable. If the authorities fail to address our concerns, traders will from July 1 stop paying tickets, store rents, and all taxes to the Assembly,” she said.
The traders are demanding an urgent meeting with the STMA and all agencies involved in the redevelopment project. They want officials to explain the current stage of construction, provide a realistic completion schedule, and outline when shop allocation and relocation will begin.
The group believes the continued uncertainty has made it impossible to plan for the future. Many traders say they cannot make long-term business decisions because they have no idea when they will return to the central market.
Although they insist they are willing to engage in dialogue, they have warned that they will intensify their actions if officials continue to ignore them.
Their planned actions include more peaceful demonstrations, petitions to higher authorities, and a return to the incomplete Market Circle by the end of July to continue trading there until construction is finished.
According to the traders, their campaign is not intended to create conflict. Rather, they want public officials to be transparent, accountable, and committed to completing a project that has remained unfinished for years.
Commercial drivers in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis say their businesses have also suffered because economic activity around the Market Circle has declined sharply.
