The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has abandoned plans to evict petty traders off the pedestrian walkways and shoulders of roads in the central business district of Accra.
The Public Relations Officer of the AMA, Numo Blafo told the Daily Graphic, most of these traders are unwilling to migrate because the authority did not have enough security officers (metro guards) to prevent the petty traders from returning to the streets.
The AMA arrived at the decision because the traders have become recalcitrant and unwilling to migrate from the area.
Hawkers have severally disobeyed a directive by the AMA to vacate the streets of the Central Business District.
[contextly_sidebar id=”syb8XRmErgapep8hRPwDi6hRqMtRUaQa”]Traders and hawkers operating around the Makola market earlier defied a directive by the AMA to vacate the streets for a de-congestion exercise.
He said the AMA has therefore decided to construct about 13 markets in Accra beginning from June, 2015, to accommodate petty traders in the Central Business District.
The selected markets include the Makola, Salaga, Mallam, Nima, Mamobi and Mallam Atta markets. There will be stores, stalls and sheds.
All the petty traders will be taken off the pavements and streets to the markets after the reconstruction.
He warned that the AMA would prosecute any petty trader who would return to the pavements and streets after the relocation exercise.
“Now there is no space in the markets. So it will be inhuman for you to evict the hawkers. But after the reconstruction of the markets, anyone we see selling on the pavements will be prosecuted,” he warned.
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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana