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The Ghana Enterprises Development Agency (GEDA) has initiated plans to provide a crusher machine for the beads market at Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
The machine is used to crush particles of bottles and other types of glass to mould beads. The Koforidua Beads Market, which is the biggest of its kind in the country, lacks such a machine, and as such dealers in beads usually use manpower to crush the raw materials.
The security situation in the market is also not good because it has no fence wall. As a result, thieves and other criminals harass both traders and buyers. It is in view of the prevailing situation that GEDA has decided to offer its support.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GEDA, Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, said her outfit would work towards providing the market with a crusher as soon as possible, as it urgently needed one.
That, she said, would make it easier for the bead makers to crush the raw materials instead of doing that manually. Apart from that, Mrs Yankey-Ayeh indicated that GEDA would, if necessary, fence the market to ward off thieves and criminals who steal raw materials from the market.
"If we are able to provide the crusher, it will boost bead production and eventually create more jobs for all those interested in the beads industry. "We are also going to provide all that is needed to make the market the first place of call in the country for beads buyers,” she stated.
She said GEDA started stakeholder engagements on the issue in January this year and had known the challenges facing the market and, therefore, was ready to help solve the issues.
Traders of the Koforidua Beads Market
The Member of Parliament (MP) for the New Juaben South Constituency, Michael Okyere Baafi, said apart from the provision of the crusher machine to mould beads, a centre to exhibit or display the beads for sale would also be provided.
Such facilities, he stated, were what the market needed, which would also benefit the country. Mr Baafi, however, encouraged the beads traders in the market to create a social media platform to advertise and promote the beads.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of New Juaben South, Isaac Appaw-Gyasi, said apart from the beads market enhancing commercial activities in the municipality, it would also attract both local and foreign tourists.
He said the cooperation and collaboration between him and the MP had led to the transformation of the municipality.
The queenmother of the market, Nana Afrakoma Teiko, who was highly elated about the GEDA intervention, said she had to lobby at the assembly and the Regional Coordinating Council to be allocated the present site.
She said that was because their previous location near a gutter was not ideal for commercial activities. Nana Teiko thanked GEDA for what it was going to do for the market and expressed the hope that the assembly, RCC and the MP would continue to help give the market a facelift.
