Several shops at the Kasoa New Market have been demolished, raising concerns over the livelihoods of affected traders.
The structures, which housed corn and cassava mills, were pulled down on Saturday, May 23, by the Municipal Assembly to pave the way for the construction of a proposed 24-hour Economy Market.
Affected shop owners say the demolition was carried out despite the existence of an active Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Assembly, with no clear resolution provided regarding their investments and future operations.
Although the traders say they are not opposed to the government’s initiative, they expressed frustration over what they describe as a lack of engagement and consideration for their concerns.
“My father has spent all the money he got from his pension to invest in this corn mill. And now it is going to be demolished. As I speak, he is sick. From the day he heard that there was going to be a demolition, he hasn’t been well. How is he going to survive?” the son of one of the affected traders told Citi News.
The Municipal NADMO Director, Nash Nyandey, however says the exercise is crucial and was conducted with the notion that the market was dormant on a Saturday.
He said it is an exercise aimed at ensuring that the desire of government to establish 24-Hour Economy Market Centers across the country is fulfilled.
“We have engaged every stakeholder on several occasions. The municipality has noted that any trader who will be affected should come to the assembly for further compensation. So far it is the uncompleted structures we have demolished,” he said.
On Tuesday, a construction worker was gruesomely murdered at the controversial Kasoa CBD redevelopment project site. A carpenter who also acted as a security personnel was found dead with deep machete wounds.
Authorities have remained tight lipped on the incident even as the project continues.
The project faced stiff opposition from traders who occupied some temporary shops that were constructed with revenue generated from petty traders with an active MoU in place.
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