Adum-Banso traders, chief demand replacement of 24-hour market contractor over delays

Traders, chiefs and residents of Adum-Banso in the Mpohor Fiase District of the Western Region are calling on government to immediately replace Micardor Construction, the contractor engaged to construct a 24-hour market in the community.

The call follows the contractor’s failure to commence work more than five months after the project was officially launched.

The delay has left traders operating in the open after the already-deplorable condition of the old market deteriorated, with parts of its roof gradually being ripped off.

The traders say the situation is affecting their health and businesses and are therefore appealing to the government to intervene and ensure that a new contractor is engaged to complete the project.

Adum-Banso is a major market centre in the Western Region, particularly on Tuesdays when the community attracts traders and customers from across the region, including Sekondi-Takoradi.

However, the deteriorating condition of the old market has forced traders to sell their goods in the open, exposing them and their customers to harsh weather conditions and other challenges.

As part of efforts to address the situation, the community was selected to benefit from the government’s 24-hour market initiative, with Micardor Construction assigned to execute the project.

But more than five months after the sod-cutting ceremony, the contractor has yet to move to the site.

Following repeated assurances from the contractor that work would commence, the Chief of Adum-Banso, Nana Kwandoh Brempong III, is demanding that the government replace the contractor to prevent further delays.

Meanwhile, the consultant for the project, Devpro 360 Engineering Works, in a response to the Chief, said it was exhausting all processes to have the contractor replaced.

Speaking to Channel One TV, the District Chief Executive for Mpohor Fiase, Sophia Aubyn, said she was working to engage the Central Government to address the concerns of the community.