The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has criticized the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for putting up a market with inadequate structural planning for traders in the central business district.
This comes after a fire gutted Accra’s Makola Shopping Mall over the weekend, resulting in the destruction of approximately 200 makeshift structures.
Items including jewelry, perfumes, wigs, cosmetics, hair products, and dresses worth millions of Ghana cedis were consumed by the late-night inferno.
Fortunately, there were no reported casualties, although the cause of the fire remains unknown.
Traders at the Makola Shopping Mall are calling on the government to make financial commitments directly to them, if any, but not through the managers of the market, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
The traders contended that if any relief package is handed to SSNIT for onward compensation, they will never receive it. Therefore, it must be made directly to them.
Speaking to the media during an inspection tour of the market, the director of communication for GUTA, Joseph Padi, urged the relevant authorities to address the situation urgently to ensure the safety of local markets and demanded immediate help for the victims.
Story by: Osei Akoto / Ahotoronline.com
