Naa Betty Nelson
6 July 2009
The East Ayawaso Assembly has urged the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to upgrade the Nima and Maamobi markets to allow traders have the opportunity of investing more in businesses for maximum benefits, towards the improvement of their standard of living.
The ability of the market women and traders to invest in the education of their children would help contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal by the set target.
Speaking at a forum organised by the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD) on the upgrading of the Nima and Maamobi markets, and a Gender Empowerment Project, the Project Coordinator of VALD, Mr. Labram Massawudu Musah, noted that East Ayawaso was faced with enormous developmental challenges, ranging from poor sanitation, crime, unemployment, high illiteracy rate and lack of proper infrastructure, as compared to neighbouring constituencies.
He pointed out some challenges faced at the markets, which included urinals, toilets, water and security.
"When it rains, the market becomes unusable. In Nima, the state of the market has pushed others to trade on the streets, thereby resulting in competition with cars and buses for space. This has made the Nima overhead bus stop unsafe, and causes traffic a jam," he added.
The objective of the forum was to provide a common platform for the East Ayawaso Sub-Metro Assembly and civil society organizations to interact and find solutions to the challenges confronting the Nima, Maamopi, and Kanda suburbs.
At the forum the Assembly Member for Maamopi East pledged his support for the campaign, and assured VALD to follow-up with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).
He contributed that corruption was one of the major problems among the governance. This was in the sense that common funds are not given to the sub-metros for the developments of their various communities. He said that the sub-metros complain, "But, the authorities in charge tell them that they should survive on public toilet money collection."
He said these funds are suppose to be used by the metro chief executives of all districts, but are rather channeled to Accra, and abandoned other districts such as the Kanda, Nima and others.
He pointed out that for about ten to fifteen years now, no money had been given for community development.
The role of VALD was to advocate for development, and ensure that developmental projects approved by government and stakeholders, are executed to the fullest, and to ensure that the voiceless are given a voice.
With this, he called on the government and interested parties to consider the plight of the market women and traders, and involve them in decision-making.
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