Traders at the new Salaga London market in Accra are calling on government to complete the old market to facilitate their trading activities.
The traders who say they have complained several times to government but seen no positive results say they are recording losses as a result of the situation.
According to the traders, they were evacuated from the old Salaga market two years ago to temporary place with the assurance of bringing them back 6 months after reconstruction works are completed.
But they lament that government has abandoned the reconstruction works of the old market for two years now.
The traders told a Citi Business News team that visited that government authorities including the assembly assured them that the project will be completed in 6 months but that did not materialize.
They complain that the new place they were transferred to before the reconstruction lacks basic needs to qualify the place as a market since they were assured it would be a temporary place.
“This forced evacuation of traders by government into the new Salaga market has collapsed our businesses,” a trader lamented.
“Previously I could make up to 500 cedis in sales, but now it takes the grace of God to even make 20cedis. They have destroyed our market. Our businesses have collapsed because we get very few customers here”, another said.
The traders also pointed out that customers have refused to come to the new place they were relocated to due to deplorable nature of the place.
A trader explained that“When we were at the old market, I could sell up to 400 cedis worth of tomatoes within three days but here sales have dropped drastically. It takes over two weeks to sell the same quantity. I can only make 30 cedis in a day. They also make reference to the unfavorable weather conditions they are exposed to especially when it rains” lamented another trader.
They also make reference to the unfavorable weather conditions they are exposed to especially when it rains.
“Whenever it rains, we are forced to pack our things and go home because of the poor structure of this market. There is no storage facility here” they expressed.
The vendors also explain that several attempts to get government to move them to their old site have proven futile. To them, the construction is now being politicized hence its delay.
They have therefore threatened to take action if the market is not completed soon.
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By: Jessica Ayorkor Aryee/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana.
