Transform the Kumasi Race Course Market into Well functioning 24-hour Market Initiative

The Government of Ghana under the regime of His Excellency President JD Mahama has introduced a Resetting Agenda. Among others, the Agenda encompasses a broad macroeconomic and structural policy termed as 24-hour economy program while a 24-hour market has the physical infrastructures for the transporting and trading projects and for the control systems for an expected 24/7 operation.

24-Hour Market
A 24-Hour Market is regarded as a physical, modern multipurpose marketplace with vibrant ancillary services especially transport with the hope to shift traditional daytime commerce into all round the clock economic engines So need the site for the Markets to have Night Tourism initiatives or ancillary support services say transport, and with nearby evening projects/ eateries, entertainment hubs.

Thus for the success of 24-Hour Markets as being rolled out by Ghana, need to introduce or encourage targeted night tourism to ensure to support them with great transport flow to the areas to generate vibrant night life.

A 24-Hour Market is expected to have good waste management, and ancillary services such as banks, clinics, crèches, and security (private security, police and fire stations assets and personnel) serving as a physical touch point or supply-chain support rather than the entire economy itself.

So, a 24-Hour Market under the Resetting Agenda, involves the provision of safe lockable stalls, cold storage for farm produce to cut post-harvest losses.

Kumasi Race Course Market
The Kumasi Race Course Market which is an Open Air Market is a very good candidate for operating a real formal 24-Hour Market. It has large underutilized infrastructure like vacant lockable stores and shared sheds capable of holding over 10,000 vendors and strategic layout capable of easing congestion as experienced at the Central Business Area.

It presents a warehouse area for foodstuffs, vegetables and bulk items, so active operations at the area start as early as 4am with women visiting the area to buy food items for sale or domestic usage. So need to extend this into formalized night shift economy to match existing supply chain behavior.

So, it should be branded as a primary well stocked destination as a warehouse area for foodstuffs, etc. So, transitioning the Race Course Market in Kumasi into a full 24-hour operational trading and transport hub requires a coordinated network of physical, security, logistical, and social infrastructure. So, several critical physical infrastructure, security, and administrative measures including Welfare Administration and Ancillary Support are required to make it efficiently so: The following points are presented .

General Requirements (Promotion, Systems, Infrastructure, Facilities)

1. Public awareness or campaign. Coordinate with transport unions to brand Race Course Market as a primarily well stocked destination for foodstuffs, etc
2. Good Access. Fix the roads, gravel the area with good pavements, Repair bridges,
3. Safety and Security: Need to install high-intensity solar/electric lighting, surveillance systems, and a dedicated Police and Fire Post to ensure safety for night-time traders and buyers. Security patrols around the Market to protect it and give confidence to the vendors etc
4. Cold Storage and Preservation: Need to provide cold storage facilities to reduce post-harvest losses and allow perishable goods to be safely stored overnight.
5. Sanitation and Waste Management: Need to upgrade drainage systems, sanitation networks, and round-the-clock cleaning schedules to handle continuous activity.
6. Essential Social Services: Integrate auxiliary services like clinics, nursery /daycare centers for traders' children, and provide banking or digital payment infrastructure.
7. Decongestion & Space Optimization. Need to enforce Central Business District (CBD) Decongestion: City authorities should strictly clear roadside and pavement traders from the central business district to drive vendors into the vacant lockable stores and shared sheds at Race course Market.
8. Special organization: Give flexible shift spaces, special night-trading incentives, and organized zoning.

1. Financial support with credit facilities. Provide credit facilities to encourage trading of foodstuff and other goods produced in Ghana especially those on night time trading to be supported. So access to MASLOC loans for the vendors.

1. Energy: Provide reliable utility access, smart meters with favorable off-peak power tariffs,

Round the Clock Traffic Management with Transportation Stations

1. Separated Vehicle Stations: Ensure Separate dedicated/designated staging zones for commercial passenger buses, taxis, trotros, heavy-duty cargo trucks and private cars. So ensure clear areas for private cars, lockable area for motor bikes with good security cover, area for buses to regional capitals and neighborhoods and then area for heavy-duty cargo trucks delivering bulk foodstuffs.
2. Traffic Management: Pave the area and ensure good signage with well-marked internal passages and designated loading/offloading bays to prevent roadside parking that obstructs access.

Operations and Administration
Governance: Provide efficient Administrative Center under a Management system. For the governance system, there must be fee collections and reporting of incidents points. A dedicated phone number as Admin number for normal messages and a separate dedicated emergency phone number. This Center is to act as Management center for documentations, Communication or passage of Information & Reporting of incidents.

Surveillance and Notification system ; The administration Center should operate continuously hence a Control Room to monitor with electronic systems for Surveillance and Notification system like fire alarms, handle complaints; public announcements, security alerts. Adequate CCTV cameras which footages must interlock to ensure a person can be monitored from entry to exit.

Administrator and supporting management Team. Appoint a qualified market administrator and Security Coordinator with security/ military background to oversee to the 24-hour operations, to ensure good safety, security and sanitation and dispute resolution.

Shift Systems: President Nkrumah ever said that ‘Organization Decides Everything’ which is very true. So since the Kumasi Race Course Market is an Open Air Market, it is possible to organize some trading activities or the vendors into structured shifts of day time and night time shifts and if possible into further 8-hour rotations shift. Delivery of bulky items at night time, so, the support services should be organized into prearranged shifts with 8-hour rotations for security, and sanitation Team.

Logistics Services Support
Good warehouses as storage rooms where traders can safely put or pick up goods in transit. Otherwise lockable depositories to allow vendors to lock away supply between shifts. Provide24-Hour Ablution Units by modern toilet and shower facilities.

Welfare Administration and Ancillary Support

1. Associations Centers: Provide centralized shared spaces for traders, and transporters unions and queen mothers to coordinate shift rotations, resolve disputes, hold safety briefings, and manage day-to-day operations.
2. Medical Clinic: Ensure a medical clinic with supporting medical team to handle illnesses etc.
3. Eateries: Ensure the provision of eateries to serve actors at the Site (vendors, staff of Service Providers, transporters and commuters) throughout the period.
4. Nursery Facilities: Ensure Safe and regulated spaces for children of market women including night-shift operators.
5. Night Tourism initiative; , support the Site with nearby evening projects/entertainment hubs to. Introduce or encourage targeted night tourism to ensure great transport flow to the area to generate vibrant night life.