• Agbogbloshie onion traders are expected to begin business operation at Adjen Kotoku from July 1, 2021
• The traders have registered their displeasure about government’s decision to move them from the Agbogbloshie market
• They cited security issues and the unavailability of banks and toilet facilities as some red flags at the new site
Prior to the relocation of onion sellers at the Agbogbloshie market to Adjen Kotoku, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Accra Mayor, chiefs within the Amasaman constituency and other stakeholders held a durbar on Monday, June 28, 2021, to officially outdoor the new market.
The onion sellers, scrap sellers, cattle farmers and other traders at the Agbogbloshie market were present at the durbar ahead of their relocation on Thursday, July 1, 2021.
The traders who came to the durbar in an Aayaloloo bus at a point hooted at the key stakeholders at the durbar to symbolize their disagreement with a submission made concerning their movement.
Some of these traders who spoke to GhanaWeb’s Ernestina Serwaa Asante raised concerns about the safety of their lives and their goods at the new market.
These reluctant traders noted that the new market was not spacious enough to contain all the onion traders and their other counterparts.
The traders told GhanaWeb that their relocation will lead to the collapse of their business.
One of the interviewees said, “We have 3 lines in the market; Kusasi line, Busanga line, and Hausa line but not even one line can fit here. What wrong have we done, Akufo-Addo? You didn’t create jobs for us and you want to destroy the ones we’ve struggled to build. Should we be involved in arm robberies before we eat or what? This relocation doesn’t make sense to us. We won’t step foot here. You can kill us for making this decision. Akufo-Addo should be careful with us because he’s collapsing our business. How much money do we make as profit?”
Another trader who spoke to GhanaWeb lamented about the cost of transportation to the new market.
“We have about 75 onion trailers coming in a day, where will they park? The transportation is costly. I have to board about 4 vehicles to get to Adjen Kotoku and with the nature of our job, by 12pm we have closed. So relocating us to this place is equal to the collapsing our business,” he said.
Meanwhile, the government has given out an amount of GH¢300,000 to the onion sellers to help them cart their goods to the new market at Adjen Kotoku.
Cattle farmers also received GH¢100,000 whiles scrap dealers got GH¢50,000
Other affected traders in this exercise also received GH¢50,000.