The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has appealed to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to allow traders affected by the recent fire outbreak in Kumasi to rebuild their structures themselves.
According to General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Kodua, “government may have good intentions to reconstruct the place for the traders, but we all know government processes. It may take time. Maybe one year, two years, three years or even four years.”
Justin Kodua’s statement comes after he inspected the level of devastation caused by the fire outbreak.
He emphasized that the traders have agreed among themselves to rebuild their structures, and all they need from the government is the opportunity to do so.
“The market women and men have agreed among themselves that they will all come in and help. All they need from government is the opportunity to raise the structures themselves rather than government coming in to lead the process,” Justin Kodua explained.
The NPP’s appeal is seen as a move to support the affected traders, who are still reeling from the devastating fire outbreak.
The party has also donated GHS100,000 to the affected traders, with Kodua assuring them that the party will never turn its back on them.
“Even though we are in opposition, we have managed to raise some funds to support them. We always remember them, and they can rely on us,” Kodua said.
The NPP’s stance on the matter is in contrast to the NDC government’s decision to reconstruct the area.
The party’s appeal to empower the affected traders is seen as a way to promote self-reliance and community-led development.
-BY Issah Olegor
