Mayor Allotey made the call at the official reopening of the market and the unveiling of Kantamanto Obroniwawu Businesses’ Association on Monday, seven months after a devastating fire destroyed more than 7,000 shops, displaced over 30,000 traders, and claimed one life.

Addressing the gathering, the Mayor explained that the AMA spends about 70 per cent of its internally generated funds on sanitation stressing that the Assembly had decided to replace the GH?15 market license fee with a GH?2 daily toll to ensure efficiency in revenue collection and improve waste management in the market.

Mayor Allotey appealed to traders to stay behind the Red Line demarcations, warning that street trading created congestion, endangered lives, and hampered free movement.

Leadership of the Kantamanto Traders Association confirmed that its members had agreed to begin paying the GH¢2 daily tolls from next year to restore order and support sanitation management after the January fire outbreak.

Earlier, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo representing President John Dramani Mahama, commended the resilience of traders and pledged government’s continued support.

According to her, the reopening was not only to restore business activity but also to remind citizens of the need for vigilance against human actions and inactions that trigger such disasters. She urged traders to adhere strictly to safety protocols and invest in proper market structures.

She recalled that GH¢1 million had been provided to victims shortly after the disaster and highlighted that GH¢1 billion had since been invested in retooling security services, including the Ghana National Fire Service, to respond more effectively to emergencies.