Two years, That was the promise.
Five years later, Takoradi is still waiting.

The redevelopment of the Takoradi Market Circle began in 2020. Traders were asked to endure the disruption on the understanding that they would return to a modern market within about two years.

It sounded reasonable.

Endure the inconvenience for a while, then return to a better market.

But two years became three.

Three became four.

Four became five.

And the market remains unfinished.

At some point, delay stops being a temporary inconvenience and becomes a governance problem.

This is no longer simply about a construction project that has encountered difficulties. It is about traders whose livelihoods have been disrupted, public money that has been committed, businesses that have suffered, traffic that has worsened and a city that has been asked to wait.

A government project can be delayed on paper.

A trader's life cannot.

So the question now is simple:

How did a two year promise become five years of waiting, and how much longer must Takoradi wait?

A Market Is More Than a Building
The Takoradi Market Circle is not simply a construction project. It is an economic institution.

For generations, it has been part of the commercial identity of Takoradi. Traders, food vendors, transport operators, artisans and countless others depend on the activity generated by the market.

When the traders were relocated, they accepted the disruption because they were told it was temporary.

That was the bargain.

They would endure the inconvenience today in order to have a better market tomorrow.

But tomorrow has taken a very long time to arrive.

The project was suspended in March 2023 amid financial difficulties, significantly affecting traders and businesses. Government has since acknowledged the delays and announced measures intended to facilitate its resumption.

But explanations do not reopen shops.

Completion does.

The Hidden Bill of Delay
We normally measure the cost of a public project by the amount spent on construction.

But there is another cost we rarely put into the project accounts, what happens to the people who must live with an unfinished project year after year?

There is the trader who has watched sales decline.

The business that has struggled to survive.

The commuter who spends longer in traffic.

The transport operator dealing with congestion.

The city trying to function around a major unfinished development.

And there is the uncertainty that hangs over all of them.

A project can therefore become more expensive not only because construction costs rise, but because society continues paying for its absence.

That is the hidden bill of delay.

And it is largely paid by people who had no role in causing the delay.

Jubilee Park Cannot Become Permanent Collateral
There is another part of this story we should not forget.

Jubilee Park.

The park was created to commemorate Ghana's Golden Jubilee. During the disruption surrounding the Market Circle, it became a temporary trading centre.

Perhaps necessity dictated that arrangement.

But necessity should have an expiry date.

A city needs markets.

It also needs parks.

It needs places where people can gather, celebrate, exercise, relax and simply breathe.

A market serves commerce.

A park serves the civic life of a city.

As the Market Circle moves toward completion, Jubilee Park should be restored to its proper civic and recreational purpose.

The city needs its market. It also needs its park.

Enough With the Assurances
There will always be explanations.

Financial difficulties.

Unpaid certificates.

Debt restructuring.

Contractual issues.

Meetings.

More meetings.

And eventually, another assurance that the project will be completed.

But the trader does not trade in assurances.

The trader trades in goods.

What is needed now is a clear and publicly accountable completion plan.

Government should tell the people what remains to be done, what it will cost, how it will be financed and, most importantly, when the traders can realistically return.

After five years, citizens are entitled to more than another indication that completion is coming.

They are entitled to a date, a plan and accountability for delivering both.

Parliament Must Now Act
The Western Region has 17 Members of Parliament.

The traders have indicated that they intend to engage all of them over the prolonged delay.

They should.

But this matter has now gone beyond engagement, expressions of sympathy or another round of assurances.

The circumstances demand parliamentary action.

Our Members of Parliament should bring the matter formally before the House by way of a motion and require the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, to account for the current status of the project and the steps being taken to secure its completion.

The Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and the Western Regional Coordinating Council should provide the relevant implementation and technical information, while the Minister for Finance should account for the financing arrangements, payments made, outstanding obligations and resources required for completion.

The purpose should be straightforward:

Secure accountability and establish a binding completion timetable.

The people of Takoradi deserve to know what happened to the original timetable, what has been spent, what remains outstanding, what work remains to be done and what resources are available to complete the project.

Most importantly, the Executive should place before Parliament a definite completion date, supported by measurable milestones and clear responsibility for delivery.

But Parliament's role should not end with the motion.

The responsible Minister should report periodically to the House on progress against the timetable, supported by reports from the STMA, the Western Regional Coordinating Council and other agencies directly involved in implementation and supervision.

If a milestone is missed, Parliament should require an explanation and a corrective plan.

If delays continue, the responsible officials should be brought back before the House to account.

That is meaningful oversight.

Parliament should not merely receive a promise of completion. It should monitor that promise until it becomes a completed project.

This should not be an NPP or NDC issue.

It is a Takoradi issue.

It is a Western Region issue.

And ultimately, because public money is involved, it is a Ghanaian issue.

Our 17 Members of Parliament now have an opportunity to demonstrate that representation means more than speaking for constituents during elections. It means taking their grievances to the national chamber, demanding answers from the Executive and remaining engaged until those answers translate into results.

We in Takoradi do not have the seat of the Presidency. We do not have the influence that comes with the Golden Stool of the Asantehene. We do not have those centres of national power and influence at our disposal.

What we have is our voice, our civic institutions and, above all, our 17 Members of Parliament.

They are our constitutional voice in the national chamber.

They are our bridge to the Executive.

That is why the people of Takoradi must expect all 17 MPs, regardless of political party, to speak with seriousness and persistence on the issues that affect this city.

The Market Circle is one such issue.

They should not merely listen to the grievances of their constituents. They should carry those grievances to Parliament, demand answers, insist on a timetable and remain engaged until the promised completion becomes a reality.

We may not have the Presidency. We may not have the Golden Stool. But we have 17 voices in Parliament.

The people of Takoradi should expect those voices to be heard.

Finish What We Started
There is something deeply unsatisfactory about a major public project remaining unfinished for years while the people it was meant to serve continue paying the price.

The Market Circle is therefore more than a construction project.

It is a test of whether government can make a commitment, encounter difficulties and still find a way to deliver.

That is responsible governance.

Not the absence of problems.

The capacity to solve them.

The traders have waited long enough.

The taxpayer has invested enough.

Takoradi has endured enough disruption.

It is time to finish the market.

Not with another explanation.

Not with another assurance.

Finish it.

And when the Market Circle is finally completed, Jubilee Park should return to the people, restored as a civic and recreational landmark of the Twin City.

Because a city is not judged by the names it carries, but by what it delivers to its people.

Five years is too long to wait for a promise of two.

Public office is not the power to make promises. It is the responsibility to keep them.

When the state gives its word, citizens should not have to spend years reminding the state that it gave it.

That is not merely a construction problem.

It is a question of trust.

And public trust, once exhausted, is not easily rebuilt.

About the Author
Seth K. Awuku is a Ghanaian legal scholar, writer and public affairs commentator, with interests spanning law, governance, public policy and national development. He is the Principal of Sovereign Advisory Ltd and has written extensively on issues of public interest, institutional accountability and civic life in Ghana.