By: Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
A tragic accident in Accra’s Central Business District on Monday claimed the life of an elderly woman and left several others injured after an Aayalolo bus veered off the road and crashed into traders near the COCOBOD building.
The incident, which occurred around 3:30 p.m. on September 1, involved a bus with registration number GT 5493–17. Eyewitnesses said the vehicle lost control and mounted the pavement, where traders were still selling.
The President of the Traders Advocacy Group Ghana (TAGG) confirmed that the bus also struck two other vehicles, a sprinter bus (GR 2238–X) and a double-cabin pickup (GW 2377–Y) before hitting the traders. According to him, the impact with the two vehicles may have prevented the bus from fully mounting the pavement in front of the COCOBOD building, where more traders could have been struck.
Several of the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment. The Accra Regional Police Command has begun investigations and is yet to release the identity of the deceased.
Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, who visited the accident site to gather firsthand information, directed traders to vacate the pavements immediately.
“From tomorrow morning, nobody should come and sell here again,” he ordered.
The Mayor blamed the tragedy on traders who had extended their activities from pavements onto the streets. He assured that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) would strictly enforce by-laws to decongest the Central Business District and reduce such risks.
However, some traders expressed dissatisfaction with the directive, arguing that relocating to the Makola and Kwasiagwaso markets would negatively affect their livelihoods.
