The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has expressed its displeasure with the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for constructing a market in the central business district with inadequate structural planning for traders.
This discontent arises in the aftermath of a fire incident that ravaged Accra’s Makola Shopping Mall over the weekend, resulting in the destruction of around 200 makeshift structures.
The fire consumed items such as jewelry, perfumes, wigs, cosmetics, hair products, and dresses valued at millions of Ghana cedis. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, although the cause of the fire remains unknown.
In an interview with Citi News during an inspection tour of the market, the director of communication for GUTA, Joseph Padi, appealed to SSNIT to step in to ensure the safety of local markets and demanded immediate help for the victims.
“What we saw on the ground is inhumane. It is like a cubicle. Our members were telling us that they pay almost everything from rent to refuse fees. We are asking what SSNIT is going to do for the traders because they have been badly affected.”