Kofi Bentil, Senior Vice President of IMANI Africa, has urged former President John Mahama to address the persistent issue of market fires in Ghana, particularly the annual incidents at Accra’s Kantamanto Market.
In a social media post dated January 2, 2025, Bentil expressed his frustration over the recurring fires, stating, “Kantamanto is burning again, as reported by Modern Ghana.
It’s now an annual affair. If something happens consistently in a society it’s not an accident, it’s culture! We have a culture of annual market fires and bad street lights. God Help Prez. John Mahama to change it!”
His comments followed a devastating fire at Kantamanto Market that destroyed numerous stalls and displaced hundreds of traders.
The blaze erupted late on January 1, 2025, catching many traders off-guard as they attempted to salvage their goods.
Eyewitnesses reported that the fire started abruptly, with one resident recalling, “We were asleep when we heard someone shouting. When we woke up, we saw that there was a fire outbreak.”
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) responded by deploying 13 fire tenders from across the Greater Accra Region.
However, their efforts were hindered by limited access to functional fire hydrants and insufficient water supply, leading to the fire reigniting multiple times.
ADO1 Alex King Nartey, GNFS spokesperson, described the situation as “very serious,” noting the extensive damage and estimating that fully extinguishing the fire could take approximately two days.
The frequent occurrence of such market fires has raised concerns about Ghana’s preparedness and the effectiveness of safety measures in public spaces.
Traders affected by the Kantamanto fire are calling for immediate assistance to rebuild their livelihoods. One trader lamented, “We’ve lost everything.
This is how we feed our families, and now it’s all gone.” There are also calls for thorough investigations to determine the causes of these fires and to implement robust preventive strategies to avert future tragedies.
Bentil’s appeal to Mahama underscores the need for decisive action to address what he describes as a cultural issue of annual market fires and inadequate infrastructure, such as poor street lighting.
His invocation for divine assistance for Mahama to effect change reflects a broader public desire for sustainable solutions to these recurring problems.