The head of the Market Women at Santana Market in Accra, Comfort Ekuban, has spoken out against the prevailing notion that most fire outbreaks in market centres are the result of traders' recklessness.
Speaking on GhanaWeb’s Legal Agenda, Comfort Ekuban, said that the blame for these incidents lies more with the negligence of officials who are responsible for ensuring safety measures in the various markets.
“I won't accept that fire outbreaks in the markets are as a result of the recklessness of the market women,” she said in twi.
Elaborating further, Comfort Ekuban drew attention to the role of fire service personnel and NADMO (National Disaster Management Organization) officials in overseeing market safety.
She highlighted instances where dangerously exposed electrical wires are ignored by those responsible for inspections, ultimately contributing to the potential for fire outbreaks.
“Oftentimes, we get fire service personnel coming to the market to see dangerously exposed electrical wire. Instead of alerting shop keepers, they ignore it.
“NADMO officials also come around, observe the same situation, and will not do any about. They all come there, and they don’t complain, so I will say it’s not the fault of the traders,” she added.
As a nation, Ghana continues to grapple with the recurring issue of fire outbreaks in market centres. The recent was the fire outbreak that occurred at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange (Circle) on May 21, 2023, where 10 shops with phone accessories worth thousands of cedis were destroyed by fire.
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Head of Market Women at Santana Market, Comfort Ekuban