Recontruction of Mallam market begins
Reconstruction work has begun on the Mallam Market in Accra, which was destroyed by fire last Monday. The debris from the burnt shops has already been cleared by bulldozers.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) are currently in the process of compiling a list of all the affected traders to aid rearrangement when the work is completed.
When graphic.com.gh visited the market by the close of Wednesday, 380 people had been registered by officials of NADMO.
Most of the victims, according to the AMA Coordinator of NADMO, Mr Joseph Otoo, were owners of stalls, with the rest being those who sold wares on top of tables.
He said the assembly had to intervene and have the market rebuilt, even though it had not been budgeted for.
“The mayor himself has promised the women that he will see to the reconstruction of this market and so that is what we are doing,” he said.
According to him, the contractor for the project had already conveyed raw materials to the site, awaiting the clearing process, which s expected to be completed Friday.
He said the cleared space would be levelled with laterite for the permanent structures to be mounted by this weekend.
Mr Otto said NADMO expected the total number to go beyond 1,000.
As of the time of the visit, some of the affected traders had formed long queues to have their details taken, while others were sitting idle on tables, looking on as the bulldozer cleared what used to be their place of work.
Others who could not wait for the reconstruction work to be over had taken to the pavements and other walkways in the active part of the market for their business.
One of the victims, Madam Oye Korkor, said she had been idling at home since the incident occurred on Monday.
According to her, she had lost her provisions shop, causing her to lose over GHC10,000 of her working capital.
She was excited over the government’s decision to reconstruct the market and asked that a loan scheme be instituted to aid victims such as her to get their businesses back.
Source: Daily Graphic