The project will be funded by the government at a cost of between US$4 million and US$5 million and will be managed by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

 The market will be reconstructed by Excellent Builders, a Ghanaian construction company with affiliation to an international company that specialises in building markets.

According to the Managing Director of Excellent Builders, Mr Said Haider, the reconstruction of the Salaga market was one of six projects proposed by the AMA “and we are cutting the sod today for the first market and the project will hopefully take less than a year”.

Mr Haider said the company had the full support of the traders to start construction and were, therefore, prepared to move out for the project to begin.

He indicated that five temporary sheds had been provided for the traders at the London market, insisting that they were adequate to accommodate all the traders who had been moved.

Market project

After the short ceremony last Sunday, the Minister of Youth and Sports and Member of Parliament (MP) for the Odododiodoo Constituency, Mr Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, confirmed that the project was expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

“The market has been on the street since 1996 and by the grace of God today we have cut the sod and we hope that in 10 to 12 months’ time our market women will smile and will be coming back to a much more serene and congenial atmosphere for them to do their business, trade and be able to take care of their families,” he said.

PPP

The Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah,  said he was very pleased with the public private partnership (PPP) policy that would bring about the construction of the two-storey market complex.

He was optimistic that the current number of about 600 people who patronised the old market would soar to 1,000 when the modern market was completed.

He urged the AMA, SSNIT and all partners involved in the project to ensure that all the traders at the old market were allocated spaces to  work.