Relief for victims of market fires
The Kantamanto Market, noted for its brisk business activities on Wednesdays and Saturdays, was razed to ground zero by a fire at dawn, just like other markets in Kumasi, Agbogbloshie and Dome in Accra on May 6, 2013 and June 6, this year, rendering many traders jobless.
These ferocious fires did not only bring about economic challenges but also caused upheavals on the political landscape with allegations of conspiracy theories or unseen hands of political opponents.
Our markets all over the country are centres of economic activities and the dislocation of these activities is likely to affect the economy of the people and the state.
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Statistics may not be available, but majority of these traders are breadwinners who, apart from keeping the home, pay the school fees of their children and wards.
Anything that befalls this group of economic players must be a matter of concern to the government and other stakeholders in the value chain.
In spite of the millions of investment in these markets, only a handful of the traders insured their wares or took advantage of any of the products at the banks to safeguard their livelihoods.
This is not the time to cry over spilt milk; rather, we must find the necessary strategies to support the traders to stand on their feet again.
Even in the wake of these disasters, most of the traders were able to mobilise other resources to restart their businesses from the ashes of the markets.
The Daily Graphic is happy that yesterday the state disbursed GH¢2 million to 7,381 traders who suffered losses as a result of the market fires.
On the average, every trader is to receive about GH¢300, but judging from the level of destruction at the markets, the amount can be said to be inadequate.
As indicated by the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, the support is a social intervention targeted at persons affected by the fires, noting that while the government could not refund all that the traders had lost; the support was to empathise with them and alleviate their plight.
We think the time has come for the government to set up an emergency fund to deal with emergencies such as the fires that have gutted markets and destroyed many livelihoods.
The gesture by the government may not be enough to resolve all the challenges arising from the market fires, but it is a good beginning.
What we need to do is put structures in place that can swiftly deal with emergencies such as market fires.
The Daily Graphic appeals to traders to accept the government’s gesture, no matter the quantum of support, to start on a small note to rebuild their business.
With this hurdle out of the way, we expect the government, in consultation with the various district assemblies, to raise the necessary funding to rebuild the markets and facelift existing ones that are also prone to disaster.
Daily Graphic / Ghana
