Tema traders decry relocation order

A group of about 100 market women who were relocated to Twedaase School Park by the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) during the lockdown has expressed dissatisfaction about Assembly’s decision to relocate them to Site 18, Tema Community One.

This was in a statement signed by Ms. Ivy Asi Ametepey, on behalf of the leadership of the traders that the Assembly did not engage the market women before suddenly announcing that they were to be moved to Oninku School Park, site 18, Tema Community One.

She explained that the Assembly’s attempt to relocate them to site 18 would affect their trading activities as well as the well-being of their dependants.

The market women also submitted a letter to the Ghana News Agency in Tema indicating that, some concerned residents of site 18, Tema Community One had petitioned the TMA to revert the current status of the Oninku School Park.

The group claimed that since the rezoning of the school park, the pupils are endangered through the activities of robbers, and prostitutes among others after the park was zoned into a vending site.

Responding to the concern of the traders, Mr. Frank Asante, TMA Public Relations Officer said the traders were taken out from the main market to an open space during the lockdown to ensure adherence to Covid-19 protocols.

He added that the protocols had now being eased as such, there was the need for them to move back to the main market “we brought them from the market to the park and we are asking them to go back to where we brought them from”.

Mr. Asante explained all traders in the Metropolis that were moved during the COVID-19 lockdown were being asked to move back to their original markets.