The Awutu Traditional Council has earnestly requested the establishment of a market akin to the New Kejetia Market in Kumasi within the Awutu area.
Abokuade Agyeman Tettey Otabil III, President of the Awutu Traditional Council, stressed the necessity for infrastructure supporting trade in the region, citing the abundance of land for cultivation but the lack of a dedicated market.
He urged, “If you go to places like Agbogbloshie, Mallam Attah market, you will hear ‘Bawjiase bankye, Bawjiase bankye, Bontrase bayerɛ,’ meaning we have the produce coming from our place to Accra. We are pleading with you, that beautiful edifice you put up for the people of Kumasi, that is the Kejetia market, we are jealous of it. You must do all in your power to give us a befitting market.”
The chief also disclosed the Traditional Council’s endorsement of John Mahama’s proposed 24-hour economy, expressing their commitment to supporting industrial development in the area.
He vowed, “He pledged, “We plead with you, once you come into office, you should immediately establish 10 factories in Awutu. Because this 24-hour economy will really help us. We will do it. The youth don’t have jobs to do. We will all put our hands to it and make it.”
In response, John Mahama assured the Traditional Council of his dedication to regional development and outlined plans for creating an industrial hub on the Western corridor, emphasizing the decentralization of industrial development.
“It will be a deliberate policy of ours to bring industrial development to the Western part because we cannot make all the factories be concentrated at one place,” Mahama said.
He further detailed engaging the private sector in this initiative.
“Once we do this, the private sector themselves will come for the land and build pharmaceutical industries, soap production factories, different factories, vegetable cooking factories, etc. And so we must immediately prepare for that to happen, and this perfectly fits into the 24-hour economy.”
John Mahama, actively seeking input for the People’s Manifesto during his campaign in the Central region, has engaged various segments of the population, receiving confidence in his 24-hour economic policy suggestion from chiefs, students, teachers, market women, and the youth.