Traders in the Central Business District of Accra yesterday surged onto the streets to do brisk business in reaction to the apparent Presidential directive to the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive to suspend the decongesting exercise in the national capital.

In their thousands and filling all available spaces on the streets and along the pavements, the traders displayed their wares in serious competition with pedestrians for space, causing traffic jams as a result.

According to the traders, they had read in the newspapers and heard on a number of radio stations yesterday that the President had ordered the Chief Executive of the AMA to halt the decongesting exercise, hence their return to the streets.

Some of the traders, in an earlier story, had told the Daily Graphic that the decongestion of the streets in the central business district had negatively affected business ahead of the Christmas.

They were delighted that the return to the old chaotic order had helped some of them to make good sales, describing the opportunity as very appropriate and timely.

According to the traders, even when the first decongesting exercise started about four years ago, they were allowed back onto the streets to sell during the period before and during Christmas.

Madam Vida Zigah, who sells shoes and dresses, said since the decongestion started, the hope of traders had been that the AMA would give some grace period just before Christmas for them to make sales but, unfortunately, that had not appeared to be the case.

She said since the beginning of the month, the AMA task force had made life very difficult for them by chasing and seizing their wares.

She claimed that traders had to pay fines ranging from GH¢5 to GH¢500 before their wares were returned to them and alleged that the AMA failed to issue receipts to cover such payments.

For her part, Naa Ashami Attukwei said soon after the news broke early morning yesterday about the government’s directive, the traders moved quickly and took over the pavements, but the task force people went in and started chasing them and seizing some wares.
She said the action of the members of the task force caused a serious confusion between them and the traders but indicated that the task force members changed their tactics in the afternoon. They came round but did not seize any wares.

Some shoppers with whom the Daily Graphic spoke were happy that the traders were back on the streets, claiming that when they were sacked from the streets, it became difficult to get things to buy.

They said now that the traders were back on the streets, it was very easy to find and buy goods without any hassle.

Source: Daily Graphic

PF