The Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA) has expressed its sympathies to traders who lost wares and properties in the fire that razed the New Kejetia Market on Wednesday, March 15
The Association in a statement dated March 16, expressed joy that no life was lost as a result of the inferno but raised concerns with the recent rampant market fires and called for measures to be taken to avert such fires to save property and lives.
“The Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations wishes to express its heartfelt sympathy to all victim traders whose wares and properties estimated millions of Ghana Cedis were lost to the inferno that gutted Kejetia Market in Kumasi”.
“Effective policing of the markets by the authorities will be the best way to ensure safety and security of the marketplaces rather than only collecting levies and leaving traders to their fate.”
The first and second floors of the Kejetia New Market were engulfed by fire on Wednesday evening, and it took four fire tenders and several personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service to have it doused.
GUTA in its statement also seized the “opportunity to also console the Board and management of the market for the unfortunate incident and urge them to conduct independent investigations into the actual cause of the fire outbreak in the market and put in place a more effective mechanism to forestall such recurrence in the future.”
The Association further disclosed that it is engaging some insurance companies to ensure that members and their wares are insured.
“GUTA on our part, are engaging some insurance companies in serious negotiations to start insuring members of the trading community in the markets based on a memorandum of understanding that will be beneficial to all in the event of such unforeseen calamity.”
