The Member of Parliament (MP) for Garu, Mr Thomas Winsum Anabah, has called on government to educate and encourage market women to enrol on insurance policies.
He said such education would help reduce the hardships market women face when disasters occur, citing the recent flooding that claimed lives and displaced thousands of households.
Mr Anabah made the call while contributing to a statement delivered on the floor of Parliament by the Majority Chief Whip, Mr Rockson-Nelson Etse Dafeamekpor, on Thursday.
The statement urged the government through the Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA) to provide a special relief package for market women in 19 markets across the southern zone affected by the floods.
According to Mr Anabah, although the proposed relief package was necessary, it would not by itself restore the businesses of the affected traders. He therefore urged the government to encourage market women to insure their businesses against future disasters.
“Mr Speaker, this has become a ritual in this country that every year there will be flooding and fire outbreaks in markets and houses, and government has to find money to save people. Are we going to continuously find money to help and save people?” Mr Anabah said.
“We must think of a different way of finding support for such people. Though I support the current request and appeal for support for them, let’s think of how to educate these our market women on insurance,” he added.
Mr Anabah further urged the government to collaborate with insurance companies to make it easier for market women to insure their goods so they could receive compensation for losses caused by disasters.
The MP for Salaga South, Zuwera Mohammed Ibrahimah, also supported the proposal, saying insurance would provide financial relief to affected traders and prevent them from acting out of desperation after disasters destroyed their businesses.
Meanwhile, the government on Wednesday announced the allocation of GH¢350 million from the Contingency Fund for flood relief and mitigation following Monday’s heavy rains, which claimed many lives and displaced more than 7,000 households.
The allocation includes GH¢200 million for the procurement of relief items for affected victims and GH¢150 million for flood mitigation measures.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
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