The Tamale Metropolitan Assembly is progressively constructing new markets to rebrand Tamale as the gateway to the Sahel.
There is also rapid upgrading of the Tamale Central Market with the construction of 120 new stores.
For the purpose of easily conveying farm produce to the major markets, the Assembly is opening up the road network to the hinterlands.
This forms part of the Assembly’s desire to create enough space for the booming business community.
Mayor of Tamale, Abdul Hanan Gundado exclusively told Citi Business News his administration was committed to uplift the image of Tamale.
“We have discovered that Tamale is the largest settlement in Northern Ghana and it therefore means that if the rest of the three northern regions will have to grow rapidly it will largely depend on Tamale.”
He added, “We are trying to ensure that we engage in an aggressive local economic development to position Tamale in a proper space or in a proper environment to ensure that the three northern regions actually take off and grow properly.”
He gave the assurance that Tamale will serve as the backbone of the Sahel, “We have also discovered that increasingly people or countries from the Sahel pass through Tamale to southern Ghana to do trading and our understanding is that those businesses which these people take to southern Ghana can be done in Tamale: we therefore realized that if we develop our markets and provide space for the local people to trade it will provide benefits to people of the three regions of the north: this will ensure that Tamale becomes the gateway to the Sahel.”
He disclosed the assembly’s determination to complete the abandoned Tamale Supermarket at Aboabo which was constructed by the Acheampong government.
The abandoned Tamale Supermarket has over the years been occupied by shea nut dealers who are expected to be relocated to the new Kukuo market upon completion.
According to the Tamale Mayor, the Ministry of Trade and Industry is providing enough funds to complete the abandoned Tamale Supermarket which has a capacity of 180 stores and warehouses.
“The Aboabo shea nut project was started by the Acheampong regime but was abandoned after his regime was overthrown; we have had support from the Ministry of Trade and Industry to complete this project.”
“We will have about 180 stores and a warehouse that can accommodate so many things at one spot and in a month we can generate about GHC220, 000 from this market alone and I am sure if we have such a revenue source nobody will tell you that we will be the first to write to central government to indicate that we no longer need common funds to undertake our development projects.”
The Tamale Mayor further disclosed the assembly’s collaboration with MASLOC to advance soft loans to market women to boost the local economy.
By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana