The Sunyani Municipal Assembly is set to move all traders from the old market to the main market, Nana Bosoma Market on Monday, February 22, 2021.

The Municipal Assembly last year, 2020 in its measures to decongest traders at the Nana Bosoma Market, came out with a directive to move traders to other open spaces in order to avoid overcrowding at the market.

In May 2020, most public places such as the Sunyani Coronation Park and the Sunyani Jubilee Park were designated for traders who were into vegetables and second hand clothing respectively. Those who were into food stuffs were given spaces at other places such as the Victoria Park and the old market.

Mr Robbin Oliver, the Public Relations Officer for the Sunyani Municipal Assembly, in an engagement with Ghanaweb stated that, the vegetable traders who were designated to be at the Sunyani Coronation Park have been moved to join their colleagues at the old market after the resumption of football activities on the park.

He noted that, recently, there has been a spike in the cases of coronavirus in the municipality and that the assembly, has decided to enforce all its by-laws in order to control the spread of this virus at the market places.

According to Nana Adom Manu, the spokesperson for Sunyani Traditional Council, the council, together with the assembly, had a discussion with the management of Twene Amanfo Senior High Technical School last year, to enter into an agreement to temporarily secure a portion of their land for traders who mostly embark on their businesses on Sundays at the heart of the town. Nana Adom Manu indicated that, the council took the decision to move them, those traders, from the heart of the town as a result of their uncontrolled activities, which turned the heart of the town into a dumping site.

The heart of town on Sundays, serve as a market place for traders who come from Kumasi, Berekum, Techiman and other places to sell their second hand clothes, shoes and also engage in other businesses in Sunyani municipality.

Over the years, there has been several attempts to relocate these traders to the Nana Bosoma Market but this, has failed. This is so because the traders say that they make good sales at the old market and same cannot be said about being at the Nana Bosoma Market which, according to them, is far away from their potential customers. Buyers have to board a taxi from town in order to get to the market to buy goods and this, discourages the buyers from coming to the market, Mrs Rose Ansah, a plantain seller complained.



Nana Adom Manu disclosed that, the Sunyani Municipal COVID-19 Task Force, in a meeting on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 resolved to embark on a full scale exercise to move all traders from the old market to the Nana Bosoma Market, which is the main market at the central business district to clear traders off the street to allow for free vehicular and human movement.

Any trader who disobeys this joint directive from the Sunyani Traditional Council and the Sunyani Municipal Assembly, at this difficult time not to move to the main market, will be arrested by the Sunyani Municipal COVID-19 Task Force and immediately process for court. He therefore urged traders at the old market to either cooperate in full with the task force or prepare to face them in court, he added.