The Sekondi Market
There is heightened pessimism over the government’s commitment to redeveloping the Sekondi Market, following a plea by the Member of Parliament, Blay Armah Nyameke, for the project to be prioritized.
The Sekondi legislator in a viral video is seen on his knees, begging President Mahama to fulfil his promise to reconstruct the market.
This single act has given room for some residents of the city to doubt the President’s promise, as Mr. Blay Nyameke cried that his credibility and that of his party [National Democratic Congress] are at stake.
One of the sheds at the Sekondi Market collapsed on Monday, 6 October, injuring one trader and trapping merchandize worth thousands of Ghana Cedis. It was after this incident that the MP sought to remind the President about his promise.
Current state of the Sekondi Market
However, this call has been ridiculed, given that the Sekondi legislator in February this year advertised that he had secured some Chinese investors for the project. A Memorandum of Understanding was subsequently signed, giving an indication of the expressed interest by the investor to undertake the project.
Surprisingly, no new development has been realized since. Relating to the matter of investment for the reconstruction of the market, a former Assembly Member for Asafo Electoral Area in Sekondi, Sampson Kojo Nimako opines that private investors have not been truly committed to the proposed project. He recounted how a proposal from a South African investor was turned down somewhere in 2023.
The Sekondi Market
“The Assembly secured a South African investor to rebuild the market. We called for the designs and interrogated it. But there were concerns, as it did not reflect the concept for a modern market,” he told Media General’s Takoradi-based radio station, Connect 97.1 FM during its midday news bulletin, Orokodo Kasaebo on October 10.
Sampson K, as he is popularly known disclosed that the revenue mobilization model as proposed by the investor required that occupants [traders] pay a fee of at least GHC500 for rent; a rate he described as excessive.
The Sekondi Market
“The most crucial part was the rate for rental. And the consultant told us that the least rent rate was going to be GHC500. We opposed the idea and proposed that the central government finance such a project. Our justification was that we needed to have a facility that our traders can afford to pay,” he added.
The STMA Development Plan
The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has within its 2022-2025 Medium-Term Development Plan an intention to reconstruct the Sekondi market into a modern one.
The Assembly has since been scouting for investors to undertake this project under the Public Private Partnership (PPP). This was a reason cited by the local assembly in 2024 as justification for stopping the then parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Blay Armah Nyameke, from renovating the roof and other areas of the market.
The 24-Hour Market
President John Dramani Mahama promised to construct new and modern markets in fulfillment of his government’s 24-hour economic policy.
These markets, as gathered, will have a defining design that distinguishes them from existing trading centers in Ghana. Just recently, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim directed all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to secure lands for the development of modern 24-hour economy markets.
Sources within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly say authorities are mapping out areas that could be used to host traders that might be displaced should the reconstruction begin.
Already, the assembly is overwhelmed with managing the consequences of evicting traders from the Takoradi Market circle. Construction is ongoing yet at a slower pace.
Source:Lovinghananews.com
