The arduous battle to keep Ghana’s capital city clean and to make Accra Work, has been taken to the Agbogbloshie onion sellers in the Odododiodoo constituency in the Greater Accra Region.
Bulldozers yesterday rumbled onto what used to be the onion market at Agbogbloshie and demolished all structures after the July 1, 2021 ultimatum issued the onion traders to relocate expired.
Accompanied by armed security personnel, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) officials and city officials including the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Henry Quartey, the heavy-duty equipment moved into the area and pulled down what used to be stalls of traders, cattle sheds, sleeping shelters among many other structures.
The demolition was part of the Minister’s ‘Make Accra Work’ campaign to rid the national capital of unapproved and unplanned markets that have become filthy and a nuisance to easy flow of traffic.
The Minister has over the past month engaged the onion sellers and insisted the relocation was non-negotiable.
He issued the July 1 ultimatum for them to move to Adjen Kotoku in the Ga West Assembly where a well-planned market structure has been constructed for occupation.
Speaking to the media at the demolition site, Mr Quartey deplored the filthy nature of the area and the health risk the traders put the country through over the past 16 years and warned them to ensure sanitation at the new market is well maintained.
“I am warning them not to turn the Adjen Kotoku Market into the kind of filthy environment they left here at Agbogbloshie.
“They should begin to learn how to keep their environment clean because this is not good, especially an area designated for selling foodstuff for human consumption”, he reiterated.
The Minister indicated that the traders would not be left alone this time to do what they please at the new market.
Regional and municipal authorities, he said, will engage them from time to time to ensure they are given specific directives on how to manage waste in the area.
Mr Quartey warned that no onion seller and for that matter, any trade group would be allowed to return to reoccupy the cleared Agbogbloshie market; “Here, no way, they will never come back. That is not going to happen for sure,” he added.
A fence, he said, would be put around the place until the government decides on the specific investment to put on the land.
The Minister, at a stakeholders’ durbar held at the market area in Ajen Kotoku on Monday, presented a cheque for GH¢500,000 on behalf of the government to be shared among the traders to facilitate their movement.
A committee, in collaboration with the Office of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, was constituted to ensure equitable distribution of the money.
Onion sellers were to receive GH¢300,000.00 as the main group, cattle rearers, GH¢100,000; scrap dealers, GH¢50,000.00 while another group received the remaining GH¢50,000.00.
Mr. Quartey, however, assured the onion sellers that the relocation is not to disgrace or discount their activities in the national economy and that of the region.
The Regional Coordination Council, he said, will therefore do everything from the onset of the relocation till the next six months to ensure the new environment is rendered conducive for trading.
“We will go ahead to provide some facilities and social amenities so that you are able to conduct business here in harmony.
“Government is looking at re-asphalting the road network in the community, the area of the school will be fenced and quite a number of things will be done here including the establishment of financial institutions, so I know the market here will grow.”
