Accra Metropolitan Assembly to Organise Street Markets

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) will organise street marketing from Wednesday as part of efforts to enforce bye-laws and afford shoppers and sellers the convenience to shop during the Yuletide.

As a result, some commercial streets - Kimberly Avenue and Station Street, off the Kojo Thompson and Kwame Nkrumah avenues would be closed to vehicular traffic from 0900 to 1900 hours each day, Mr Solomon Ofei Darko, Chief Executive of the AMA, said at a news conference in Accra last week.

"This is to afford shoppers, traders and the general citizenry the comfort of going about their activities in peace and without fear," he said.

To ensure the success of the programme, security agencies and the AMA security department would collaborate to check pick-pockets, harassment and other social nuisance, Mr Darko said.

He said the exercise also forms part of efforts to decongest the city centre.

The AMA held a series of meetings with the executives of petty traders associations on how to assist trade without hindrance to free flow of traffic and pedestrians, particularly on the Kojo Thompson Road and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue and between the Makola Market and Railway Station. The exercise is one of the measures agreed upon to decongest the city centre.

He warned hawkers and traders that under no circumstance would the Assembly tolerate any hawking and trading activity on the Kwame Nkrumah, Kojo Thompson and Derby Avenues with the coming into force of the new arrangement.

He also warned shop owners and shop keepers that they would not be allowed to park their vehicles anywhere within the designated street markets during the periods mentioned.

Mr Darko said the exercise would continue after the Christmas festivities with the relocation of the Northern and Kumasi lorry parks from Circle to Achimota and further relocation of the Tudu Aflao station to the land at the Tetteh Quarshie roundabout.

The AMA would in the meantime continue with traffic decongestion by clamping vehicles at no-parking areas.

The Assembly in collaboration with the MTTU would employ some people identified through the recent unemployment registration exercise to assist the police to monitor drivers who drive through red lights.

Superintendent Victor Tandoh, Commander of the MTTU, said the police would soon instal traffic cameras to check such recalcitrant drivers.

He said the IGP had also beefed up police presence in the city by adding 150 policemen who passed out recently to the existing number.