Women traders in Bawku rejected in some markets

Women from the Bawku Municipality in the Upper East Region, trading in outlining villages are being rejected when they travel with their wares for business transactions in some markets in the Municipality and its environs.

The women, coming from the conflict areas, are refused entry into some markets and as a result, offload their goods from market trucks some distance away from the market squares and sell at cheaper prices than it is sold in the markets to enable them return home in good time to avoid breaking the curfew hours imposed on some areas.

At the Atoba market, a village market near Bawku, some shops belonging to the women were burnt down, destroying most of their wares.

At the Zebilla Market, in the Bawku West District, a similar incident occurred when the women and their wares were denied entry into the lorry station and the market which led to the women offloading their goods, mostly vegetables and grains, close to the town to sell.

Meanwhile, an old market in the Bawku Township, which was rehabilitated to enable traders to transact business because the central market is volatile, has been greeted with mixed feelings by a youth movement in the area.

The youth in a press statement said they were against plans by the Municipal Security Council to direct all the traders in the Bawku enclave to transact business at the rehabilitated market and declared it unsafe for business activities considering the fragile security situation there.

In an interview conducted by the Ghana News Agency on challenges of women in the ongoing conflict in Bawku and its environs, Mr Awal  Kariama, a development worker and a gender activist, urged the security agencies to ensure the safety of the women in Bawku, and respond quickly to women’s concerns in the area.

He said most of the women were bread winners facing challenges of finding food to feed their families and needed some security and protection.

He said the women were suffering not because of the recent conflicts but the hardship they faced over the years, going through challenges due to instability in the area.

Meanwhile, the recent shooting and killing of a policewoman, Constable Regina Angenu, who was on a visit to the Bawku Municipality last month, has been condemned by some residents in the township.

Some respondents urged the security agencies   to investigate and arrest perpetrators of the recent shootings.

Source: GNA