The onion traders at Kwadaso in Kumasi are currently facing a challenging situation as they have been forcefully evicted from their previous market space.
A joint military-police task force carried out the eviction order, which was issued by the Ashanti Regional Security Council after initial resistance from the traders.
The reason behind the relocation of the market was cited as a security risk for motorists, pedestrians, traders, and vehicular traffic during peak hours. The entire market structure, accommodating over two thousand traders, was demolished within three hours under the supervision of the military and police.
One trader, Alhassan Azure, who had been trading at the Kwadaso onion market for more than eleven years, is now forced to start anew at a different location. Despite the eviction notice, some traders like Stephen Kwarteng expressed concerns about the inadequacy of space at the new market and the potential for increased traffic congestion.
While some traders have accepted their new market environment and secured trading spots, others are still trading along the roads close to the old market. The regional Security Council is determined to relocate all the onion traders to a new market at Atwima Takyiman, which is a 20-minute drive from Kwadaso.
The traders’ concerns about the sustainability of the relocation remain unanswered, and only time will tell if the new market will address the challenges faced by the onion traders in Kumasi.
