The Madina Market in the La Nkwantanang Madina Municipality in the Greater Accra Region, which was gutted by fire two weeks ago, is to be reconstructed into a two and three-storey edifice respectively, the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has disclosed.
When completed, it would contain 120 stores, 78 smaller shops, fire tender base, revenue offices, banking spaces and sanitation facilities.
Dr Bawumia made this known last Friday during a meeting with the affected fire victims and other traders at the market.
The visit was to enable him to get first-hand information on the extent of damage caused and the way forward.
He was accompanied by the Greater Accra Regional Minister-designate, Titus Glover; his special aide, Kwabena Agyepong; the Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Nana Agyemang Prempeh; the Chief Fire Officer Julius Kunnor, the New Patriotic Party Parliamentary candidate and officials of the Ghana Enterprise Agency.
Dr Bawumia who did not disclose the project cost indicated that he brought along the contractor, Messrs AMMA Investments Limited and the consultant for work to begin immediately, to alleviate the suffering of the victims, some of whom were the bread winners of their families.
He stated that some amount of money would also be handed over to the affected traders, while the Ghana Enterprise Agency would provide them with start-up capital to enable them to re-start their businesses.
The Vice President urged businesses, especially traders at the various markets to purchase insurance premiums in order to protect their businesses against unforeseen circumstances.
Dr Bawumia charged the managers of the market to engage qualified electricians or officials of the Electricity Company of Ghana to undertake all electrical works to minimise fire outbreaks in the markets.
He said two of the hostels for kayayees had been completed at Madina and Ashaiman and would be handed over to the beneficiaries on May 4 this year.
The Vice President urged the traders to support the NPP break the eight in order to continue with the good works.
The Divisional Fire Officer Grade 3 Abdulai Salia attributed the fire to bad housekeeping rules as the traders block access to the market with their wares.
He urged the managers of the market to constantly call on the Fire Service to brief them on fire safety rules.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister-designate, Mr Glover, urged the traders to support the contractor to complete the work on schedule.
The La Nkwantanang Madina Municipal Chief Executive, Mrs Jennifer Dede Adjabeng, said about 110 traders had so far been validated, but indicated that the process was still ongoing to ensure everyone was captured.
She assured of the assembly’s commitment and support to complete the project ahead of schedule.
The MCE advised the victims to guard against scammers who were demanding money from them to allocate the yet-to-be completed stores to them, adding “the assembly is not collecting money from anyone to be registered”.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
