By Noah Owusu and Michael Adama Boivi
Some spare parts dealers at Abossey Okai have expressed worry over the Greater Accra Regional Minister’s decision to relocate them to Afienya.
According to the traders, the move will not help their business, and they don’t see why the Minister will come up with a decision to move them from private lands.
Noah Owusu and Michael Adama Boivi visited the Abossey Okai spare parts market and reported that, Abossey Okai is a busy uptown area in Accra, which hosts the largest automobile parts market in Ghana.
This Neighborhood has workshops for metal engineering and vehicle parts but as part of the “new phase of the greater Accra region project’’, the Regional Minister, Henry Quartey has stated that the spare parts dealers will be relocated to Afienya as part of the West Africa Automotive village.
According to the Minister, the move is part of a grand design in which the region will be modernized as an attractive tourist destination in Africa.
A visit to the place showed congestion at the market. With the new directive from the Regional Minister, GBC News engaged some of the traders to find out how ready they are and what their concerns are.
The Regional Minister has stated that the exercise will help decongest the Abossey Okai area, which is difficult for people and vehicles to navigate because of trading activities, particularly on the streets, adding that the proximity of Afienya to the Tema port is also a consideration for the relocation.
One cannot forget so soon a similar exercise by the Regional Minister to relocate onion sellers at Agbogbloshie market.
The initial plan was not so easy but the Regional Minister eventually triumphed. As to whether this initiative will also be successful, only time will tell.
