KUAMSI CENTRAL MARKET NEEDS MANAGEMENT C'TTEE (PAGE 29)

Story: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi

A section of fashion designers — Din-pa-ye Tailors Association — based at the Kumasi Central Market (KCM), have proposed to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to collaborate with it to establish a management committee that would manage the daily activities of the Kumasi Central Market. This is to help address the problem of perennial fire outbreaks, massive congestion and unsanitary conditions among other problems there.
According to the association, the establishment of “a management committee at the market to take over the daily management of sanitation, safety and security of the market infrastructure would bring enormous economic, social and health benefits to traders, shoppers, the KMA and the central government”.
At a press conference in Kumasi to outline their proposal, which had already been made available to the KMA, members of the association expressed concern about the massive congestion at the KCM and the unsanitary conditions there.
They said the dangers posed to traders and shoppers as a result of the careless wiring of structures at the market over the years also needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Among those who attended the press conference were the Chairman of the association, Mr Daniel Osei; the Public Relations Officer, Mr J. K. Bonsu; the Financial Secretary, Mr Isaac Boateng; and the business Service Provider, Mr Barnabas Sefa-Boakye.
A statement read on behalf of the association by the chairman said “because of the careless wiring by unauthorised electricians, electric power connected to the stalls and storerooms are fire-prone, with bare and weak cables hanging loosely at certain points, thereby threatening the lives of the business community there”.
He further said explosives and inflammable items were also not properly stored in the market, adding that in view of the absence of toilet facilities, the sanitation situation was deplorable.
He said because of the massive congestion in the market, the business community was at the mercy of pickpockets “and the bad odour caused by indiscriminate disposal of solid and liquid waste on the open floor affects our health and undermines productivity”.
He said it was to address the numerous problems at the market that they proposed to the KMA to “endorse the establishment of stall-holders management committee at the market”.
He explained that under the management, the KCM would be divided into zones with each zone comprising 15 members who would identify problems that undermined business transactions in the market and initiate moves to address them.
He said the committee would also comprise a central committee, which would consist of two members each from each zone, as well as four ex-officio members from the Planning, Waste Management, City Engineers and Environmental Health Department of the KMA to effectively manage all activities at the KCM.