AMA calls for private involvement

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly has invited private involvement in the modernisation, renovation, and rehabilitation of eight markets in the metropolis, namely the Public Works Department (PWD), Makola, Tuesday, Landon, Osu and Mallam Atta.

The rest of the markets are Maamobi, La and Salaga. This was made known by the City's Mayor Dr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije during a tour of project sites and markets in Accra over the weekend.

According to the Mayor, the need for private involvement was to upgrade them with modern facilities, saying, 'The idea is to bring on board public involvement, and open the gap for private investment and partnership.'

'The markets need to be operated under hygienic and safe environments, because this is where we get our food from,' he stated.

He said the renovations and rehabilitations were supported by the Social Investment Fund, and added that a forum would be held in the 2 week of September, to discuss individual proposals on what they can do to improve the markets.

'The key idea is we want private partnership, because the AMA cannot do it alone, and would give opportunities for private investment,' he stated.

At the various markets visited, the Accra File noted that the structures were in a deplorable state, the floors not cemented, and no proper storage structures to keep their stuff in.

Some of the markets like Salaga and Tuesday had their stalls empty, meanwhile the traders were selling outside, while at others such as the Mallam Atta and Maamobi markets the traders complained of lack of stalls, toilet facilities and poor drainage systems.

He said the reason for the tour was to monitor all the assembly's on-going projects, stressing, 'If you start an initiative, you must monitor it to the finish.'

The Mayor also visited Mamprobi M1 School, one of the 50 schools under the Millennium projects programme to roll-out the shift system in the metropolis, where the ground floor was almost at completion point.

It was there the Mayor said that after the completion of the 50 schools, parents would be arrested for not sending their wards to school.

Dr. Vanderpuije toured the Chemunaa project site, where nearby residents had dumped refuse into the drain, where he asked for immediate the de-silting of the drain by the contractors.

He also visited on-going toilet facility at Awodome, which is among the 43 to be contracted in the 11 sub-metro by the Assembly, and demanded that work stop, because the project was close to the road, and would hamper future road expansion.