Ghana Districts: A repository of all Local Assemblies in Ghana

ECONOMICS

AKUAPEM N: MCE meets market women groups in Akropong-Akuapem

Splinter groups of Market Traders drawn from the various markets in the municipality on Thursday 15th November, converged at the Akuapem North Municipal Assembly Hall to meet the Municipal Chief Executive, Denis Edward Aboagye to discuss possible ways to help market women obtain help from the Assembly in their economic ventures.

Date Created : 11/20/2018 6:13:32 AM : Story Author : Samuel Y. Kumah/Ghanadistricts.com

In a short interview with Nii Narh Obodai of the Social Welfare Department, explained that Social Welfare in its efforts to help solve many social issues including basic livelihood empowerment in communities, visited all the markets in the municipality to furnish themselves with the living conditions and economic life of market traders.

He was of the view that upon information gathered from these quarters, a meeting was arranged with the Municipal Chief Executive. After careful deliberations, the MCE advised that an Empowerment Fund which has been allotted in the Common Fund be used as a form of revolving fund for small trader groups within the various markets. This he said would assist or boost their petty trading.

In his submission, Hon. Dennis Aboagye said government has a varied responsibility to provide social amenities such as schools, hospitals, roads, portable water and many others in every part of the country as its mandate to ease the burdens on its citizenry. However, due to its limited resources, it could not solve these problems in every part of the country at the same time. Hitherto the challenges, Akuapem North Municipal Assembly has decided to commit part of its funds to develop the less endowed in society especially market women, artisans and the likes.

He said nobody should use this benevolence as a yardstick to complain because Social Welfare had earlier gone round to talk to the various market traders and further registered those interested in the Empowerment Fund. He said at the moment, 150 women had been budgeted for and others who had not gotten their names registered would be catered for at a due course. He also mentioned that so far, a lump sum has been put aside to begin the programme and the money would be shared among all the groups on Tuesday, 20th November at Adawso in the Eastern Region.

He further advised the women that once they go for a loan, they should make it a habit to repay so as to maintain and increase the fund for others also to benefit. He assured other traders aside market women to wait patiently because plans are far advanced to help all.

After the programme, most of the women were full of praise for the government, Municipal Chief Executive and Social Welfare Department and that this had not happened before. The market Queen at Adawso Madam Vida Adu Twumwaa was so elated that she said this could be a massive twist and a boost for revenue collection for the Assembly.