Traders at Odawna Market in Accra have threatened a naked protest on November 18 if the government doesn’t fulfill promises to renovate the market and address their concerns.
In 2020, President Akufo-Addo visited the market following a fire outbreak that devastated hundreds of stalls. During his visit, he pledged that the government, through the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), would swiftly provide assistance to over 3,000 affected individuals.
Veronica Boakye, Chairperson at the Odawna Pedestrian Shopping Mall, expressed dissatisfaction with the response from authorities and the unfavorable business conditions that led some traders to abandon the market.
“We pay a ticket of GH2.50 a day. So we are doing everything within our means to support the government. But because we don’t have a spokesperson we have been neglected. So we will speak for ourselves God willing next month. All of us will do a naked demonstration to show all Ghanaians that we are losing our property.”
“God willing, next month, 18th November will be our birthday which marks the day when our market got burnt. But it won’t be a birthday where we will wear white but we will protest naked to press home our demands,” she stated.