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Traders at London Market call for government support to renovate market

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Traders at the London Market in Jamestown in Accra have appealed to government to come to their aid by renovating their market.

The market which was built in the late 1960s has not been renovated or remodeled since its establishment.

A visit to the market today revealed a very old building, with its inner sections looking dark as a result of poor lighting, with cobwebs dangling from the ceiling as traders had their wares set up in a disorganized manner.

Upon entering the London Market in the Jamestown community, popularly referred to as British Accra, one is welcomed with a strong stench, a situation which is very disturbing.

While some traders were seen behind their wares, others were found lying down on benches sleeping, with the atmosphere quiet so unlike a marketplace.

Enquiring from traders regarding the situation, it was gathered that patronage is low coupled with challenges which they believe have contributed to their current predicament.

One of the issues of utmost importance to them is the sanitation situation of the area. They lamented about a big gutter which is situated close to the market.

This gutter, they say, floods the market whenever it rains bringing into the market rubbish and other undesirable materials.

The intensity of the floods constantly put their lives in danger. Moreover, the stench from the gutter alone is enough to drive customers away from buying their wares.

Another concern raised was the migration of traders from the Sraha market, also in Jamestown to the London Market for construction purposes.

However, after about five years of moving them to their current location, traders say nothing has been done with regards to the construction of the new Sraha market.

This has led to lots of difficulties for some of the traders who complained of low patronage as the situation has compelled some of them to move back to the Sraha area to sell on the pavements of the streets along their old site.

It has consequently pushed customers they had to go back to Sraha to trade.

With COVID-19 lingering around, it was a worrying sight, as there was no observation of the COVID protocols among most market women.

Story filed by: Naa Dzagbley Ago

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