All 45 traders at Circle in Accra who lost their goods to a recent fire outbreak have each been given a cash support of GH¢2,000 to enable them to restart their business.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, who made the presentation on Wednesday said, in all, GH¢90,000 of the Korle Klottey Municipal Assemblies Common Fund has been released to support the businesses of the victims.
Addressing the beneficiaries during a meeting in Accra, he decried continuous fire outbreaks across the country which was destroying property, and urged the Health and Safety Department of the assemblies to liaise with market queens and traders to identify the causes and find solutions.
“I think it is about time that the health and safety department in all assemblies, market queens and the various traders would have to work together with the city authorities to understand why and what caused the fires.
“Once we understand this, then we have solutions to the problems both medium and permanent,” Mr Quartey added.
Additionally, he said, it was imperative for the assemblies to educate the traders and fire safety techniques.
“We must immediately begin to sensitise our traders on fire safety. We must teach them what they have to do when your shop catches fire, what to do when you close before leaving and how to use gas at their shops,” he stated.
In the meantime, he asked the assembly to work with the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) to procure fire extinguishers for the shops to enable the traders to quench any fire outbreak before the firefighting personnel arrive.
Mr Quartey said there were plans to modernise most of the market in Accra saying that “we have to go through processes to make sure it conform with the scheme of plan around and ensure that after completion, the traders here prioritised.”
He noted that the plan to develop ultra modern markets was to accommodate more traders and create space for all traders who sell along the street and on pedestrian walkway, so they could move into the market.
Nana Kwame Boakye, Chairman for the Circle Pioneers Traders Association, expressed gratitude to the Minister and the Regional Coordinating Council for the financial support to cushion the affected traders.
It is recalled that on May 21 this year, about 10 shops with phone accessories worth thousands of cedis were destroyed by fire at the Tip-toe lane, close to the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange.
The fire which started around 2:00 p.m. was doused by a joint team of fire tenders from Abelemkpe and Ministries branches of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS). There was no casualty
BY CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS
