First Lady Lordina Mahama Pledges Trader Welfare at Heart of Makola Market Redevelopment
First Lady Lordina Mahama has sent a message of reassurance to traders at the 31st December Makola Market, assuring them that their livelihoods will be central to any decisions made regarding the planned demolition and redevelopment of the facility.
The assurance follows mounting unease among traders after the Accra Metropolitan Assembly announced plans to pull down sections of the market without first outlining alternative trading arrangements for those who would be displaced.
Concerned traders escalated the matter to the presidency, petitioning President John Dramani Mahama over fears that the project could devastate businesses many have depended on for years to support their families and fund their children’s education.
Conveying the First Lady’s message during a visit to the market, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey said the government was committed to approaching the process with sensitivity and through broad consultation.
“I came here on the instructions of our mother, Her Excellency Mrs Lordina Mahama. And being the mother she is, she asked that I come here to listen to them and then see the best way forward,” she told the traders.
Dr Lartey was keen to clarify that the traders’ concerns were not directed at the redevelopment itself, but at the manner in which it risked being carried out, potentially leaving them economically exposed in the interim.
“They are looking at how it can be done such that they will not lose their livelihoods and that is of concern to the state as well,” she said, adding that the way forward would be pursued calmly and without emotion.
She also disclosed that preliminary conversations with the Accra Mayor were already underway, with a more structured dialogue expected to follow in the coming days.
The 31st December Makola Market remains one of Accra’s busiest and most important commercial centres, attracting thousands of traders and customers on a daily basis.
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