Several shoppers in Accra’s central business district were left overwhelmed on Monday, December 23, as intense crowding and extreme heat disrupted last-minute Christmas shopping, prompting emergency intervention by the Ghana National Fire Service.
The situation escalated at major commercial centres, including the Central Business Market (CMB), Okaishie, and Makola, where large crowds gathered from early morning. Fire officers deployed engines to spray water in an effort to cool the areas as rising temperatures and mounting pressure within the crowds intensified.
Despite these efforts, at least four people reportedly collapsed, temporarily halting trading activities in parts of the district. Pedestrian and vehicular movement slowed significantly, creating gridlock that lasted several hours.
At Okaishie, movement became nearly impossible, with shoppers forced to inch forward through tightly packed crowds, a scene characteristic of this year’s peak Christmas shopping period. Vehicles remained trapped on surrounding roads, while access to shops and stalls was severely restricted, prompting some traders to temporarily abandon their spaces to avoid injuries.
A similar situation was reported in Kumasi, where thousands of shoppers from across the Ashanti Region and northern Ghana descended on the metropolis to buy food items and personal effects for Christmas and New Year celebrations. Since October, commercial activity in Kumasi’s central business district has steadily intensified as the festive season approached its peak.
Meanwhile, traders in Accra raised concerns over safety arrangements within markets, questioning the lack of effective crowd control measures despite the presence of security personnel.
A yam seller at the CMB, who spoke on condition of anonymity, lamented the slow response of authorities. “The police station is just here, but the policemen won’t help us. This place got congested more than an hour ago, with people collapsing, and no one was helping us,” the trader told Daily Graphic on Tuesday, December 23.
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