Traders at the New Kejetia Market have vowed to defy the facility’s closure for another week.
Despite the board’s directive, the traders’ leadership and transportation operators plan to visit the facility and conduct their usual business.
Following Wednesday’s fire, the facility’s board of directors directed that the market be closed for another week.
The traders have described the decision as insensitive and have asked the board and management to reverse it as soon as possible.
In a joint press statement issued by the market’s various trader groups, they stated that they have resolved to defy the board’s directive.
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“Having sighted a press release purporting to come from the Kumasi City Market board of directors, on the opening of the Kejetia market which has been extended for one extra week starting Monday 20th March 2023, we wish to categorically state that we disagree with this vehemently. No one should take the traders and transportation operators for granted. It is clear that because the board has a consistent source of income, they don’t care what source of income the traders and transport operators rely on. So, we’d like to inform the public that the Kejetia [market] will be open for business on Monday. “We will not accept a one-week extension,” parts of the statement said.
The traders have also blamed the board and management for not taking proactive measures to prevent the situation.
“We wish to put these questions forward:
1. What did the board do with the numerous warnings from the fire service, one of the copies of the warning letter attached to this release?
2. What is the board trying to hide from the public? Is it their incompetence or ineptitude or their reluctance to act and supervise effectively when they needed to do so?
3. So what have they done within the four (4) days so far when the market was closed down? We can confidently say when given one(1) full year they can’t do anything to help us.
4. Why is the board playing bromance with the management specifically the managing director? Is he their errand boy who does their bidding, so they don’t want to touch him?
5. Why do we still have the Board Chairman and the managing director at post after supervising this disaster? They must go now before we proceed.
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6. We were told all the juicy stories about the Kejetia Market. Is anyone trying to cover the lie they told us about the structural integrity of the market?
7. Has the board taken notice of the traders who deal in perishable goods and that even the three days have a negative impact on the market?
8. How is the board going to compensate traders who by virtue of the closure will lose customers to stiff competitors around the Kejetia Market?
9. Is the board going to take responsibility of the daily earnings of traders?
10 For the number of days traders do not trade, will the management have the courage and boldness to ask for service charge from traders when the market is opened.
11. Where was the board who are told to show up as though they care so much and have been working so much when in actual fact they have been sleeping and allowing the Kejetia market to deteriorate?12. We have heard the repetition of the word structural integrity, wow, does the board really care about the structural engineer of Kejetia? Where were they when seven incidences of burst pipelines destroy traders Wear for which 33 traders are in court with Kumasi city Market limited. Today, fire has exposed them big time, so they want to buy time and hide their shameful faces”.
They also asked President Akufo-Addo to step in.
“So what is the government led by his Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo position on all this, do they really care about our woes? Is the president truly concerned about the Kejetia economy in these trying times for the country? Does the president sleep peacefully while over 800 traders and transport operators suffer in this manner? We are also a part of the Ghanaian people, ooh. We are calling on all traders and transportation operators to report to work tomorrow, Monday, March 20, 2023; no one should stay at home. Everyone should wear red wristbands”.
