The government has said it will soon begin a mass relocation of traders and residents at Old Fadama in Accra.
The exercise is to decongest the area, which is considered Accra’s biggest slum.
[contextly_sidebar id=”gdv9PCUyCZSLzLsRhe2UUobJBsiset0f”]Relocation plans for residents there has been under planning for about a decade.
Following recent clashes in the area between some Dagombas and Konkombas which left at least 2 people dead, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Ishmael Ashitey, has said the Accra Metropolitan Assembly has been charged to lead a process to relocate some markets in the area.
He said the markets will be moved to Adjen Kotoku on the outskirts of Accra; a location secured under the erstwhile Kufuor administration for their relocation.
“The market has to be relocated to Adjen Kotoku. That project started long ago under Kufuor, but [there were] delays in sending them there. I learned the place is okay to receive them. It is not as big to accommodate all of them… But I am saying if we can take at least 2 or 3 markets [from here to Adjen Kotoku] let’s do that,” he said.
“It is the markets that we want to move to that place. And when we move the market to the place, I’m confident that those who are benefiting or who are actually working at the market would like to go close to where the market is,” he added.
The Minister revealed that, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly has been tasked to spearhead the relocation process and it would start work after the Easter holidays.
He however noted that, the AMA’s immediate task would be to assess the feasibility of a relocation of the people before initiating moves to actually move them finally.
“We have spoken to AMA to lead this operation; whether it is conducive now for them to go there. So they will do that after the Easter. They will move to the site and see how conducive that will be,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the Inspect General of Police, David Asante Apeatu, has suggested that relocating residents of the area will help avert troubles such as what was witnessed last Tuesday.
He said the structure of the slum made it difficult to maintain law and order.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana