They trooped to the premises of Citi FM on Wednesday to complain about what they also described as unfair treatment from the AMA.

The traders showed receipts from the AMA, which they said were issued, granting them permission to sell on the streets of the Metropolis.

“We pay 50 pesewas all the time. We have packed a lot of tickets,” one of them said.

Thus, they accused the city authorities of bad faith after the seizure some of their wares.

Mercy Zadake, who led the traders, told Citi News that she and her colleagues were pleading they be at least given their goods back.

“We are pleading with the government. They should have pity on use. We’ll even come and carry our things ourselves,” she said.

“They [AMA] seized our wares and take them to thier office. They should have been patient. It is so frustrating to get them [our wares] back even if you are fortunate enough.”

“We pay our tolls regularly so they should please let us be or how else will we pay our children’s school fees. These are not small [school] fees. How am I going to pay?” she pleaded.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive of the AMA, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, on Monday led a team of officers from the Assembly, including metro guards and police officers, to clear hawkers off pavements in the metropolis.

The activities of the hawkers and the traders on the shoulders of roads and on pavements are noted to impede human and vehicular traffic.

This also contributes to the waste build-up along streets.

While confiscating some wares and materials belonging to traders, the team locked up some businesses that were operating illegally and those that had been sited at unapproved places.

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By: Michael Ogbodu & Delali Adogla-Bessa/ctifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to him, selling on the streets posed a threat to the lives of the commuting public.

He further advised the traders not display their wares beyond the red line demarcation by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

Mr Sowah made the comments on Friday when he interacted with some traders along the streets of Makola Market in Accra.

This comes a month after the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) announced that it has agreed to allocate some space on the streets of Accra to hawkers.

A statement by the Assembly said it has after a meeting with various hawker-groups in the metropolis, agreed to give them space on some major streets to sell.

The statement urged the hawkers to “comport themselves” in spite of the allowance they have been given.

The Accra MCE said, “I believe that most of the challenges faced within the metropolis are based on the lack of effective educational campaign to sensitise the traders.”

He also promised to engage the hawkers at all times to ensure they did the right thing and ensure sanity within the business district.

Mr Sowah said very soon the AMA would recruit people in uniforms to ensure the enforcement of the bye-laws.

He further urged officers of the assembly to vigorously continue with educational campaigns to guide the operations of the hawkers.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana with files from GNA

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The previous AMA boss, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, was noted for his forceful approach to dealing with hawkers and other activities such as “okada” operations, and traffic offenses.

[contextly_sidebar id=”jEgLy925wYzXpvnssq8tk0caWJYQLRKP”]Mr. Vanderpuije even effected some arrests himself most recently, lining some “okada” operators on their knees ahead of the opening of the Kwame Nkrumah interchange.

But speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Adjei Sowah said the AMA under his leadership, will opt for a more dialogue-oriented approach in dealing with street hawkers.

“Over the years, we have used crude and tough tactics to remove hawkers from the street. It has not been effective. It has not been working. I think that there is the need to engage every trader… I am not going to employ the use of crude tactics by caning people.”

“We should be thinking of alternative ways of engaging the traders so that we also understand and appreciate the fact that being on the street is not the best way,” he said.

Among other things, Mr. Adjei Sowah also said the AMA will look into recycling waste elevating it from mere waste to a source of power and money.

“You should be aware that in city waste management, waste is no more considered as just waste, but as by-product for something else, so we will see how to re-use our waste so that the waste becomes a source of either power or cash for us,” he noted.

Other MCE nominees

The other Metropolitan Chief Executives include Iddrisu Musah for the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Anthony K.K Sam, a former Western Regional Secretary of the NPP for Sekondi/Takoradi, and Osei Assibey Antwi for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post I won’t use ‘crude tactics’ to deal with hawkers – Accra MCE appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The hawkers who were cleared off the streets a few weeks ago, returned after the elections.

Some of the hawkers told Citi News’ Caleb Kudah that they have resorted to selling their wares on the pedestrian walkway because they do not have other options.

“We do not have spaces in the market. This is the only place where we can sell our wares.”

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post AMA clamps down on street hawkers at Circle Interchange [Photos] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

President John Mahama inaugurated the three-tier interchange project which cost about 74 million euros on Monday.

But hawkers had prior to the inauguration taken over the spaces allotted for pedestrians to trade their stuff.

Meanwhile, the AMA has asked the hawkers to relocate or have their structures demolished.

Outraged by the directive some of the hawkers lamented in a Citi News interview that they were not given ample time to vacate the place.

“They were saying we shouldn’t sell by the roadside. They also told us who sell beyond the pavement has been asked to move our things. Today the AMA people were with soldiers. Now I don’t know where I will be going,” one of the hawkers said.

Another woman who has been selling in the area for the past two years complained that “just two days ago they came here and started throwing our things away without any information.”

“They said we should pick out things and go, our things are many and you can’t just be throwing our things you have to give us time. Some of us we don’t have money to rent a house so we have just erected some structures and manage to take care of our families. Now that this has happened how we can take care of our families,” she asked.

Pedestrians happy

But pedestrians are happy the hawkers have left the place but called on the AMA not to make the directive a nine day wonder.

“I think that it is in the right direction such that if the AMA is able to maintain it then residents would be assured of their walkway such that they are not pushed by the road where some people are knocked down by vehicles. What is important is their ability to sustain this effort so the hawkers don’t return. So I only pray that it is sustained,” a pedestrian said.

Another one appealed to AMA to find another place for the pedestrians.

“I am walking freely today here but the issue of hawkers has been a national problem for a very long time. So I think they should be confined in a particular place, they should be relocated, they shouldn’t be totally wiped off,” he added.

The Kwame Nkrumah interchange has three flyovers, a recreational facility, library, bus terminal, restaurant, fire, police and ambulance stations.

The project was funded with a loan from the Brazilian government and has been touted as one of the major achievements of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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