Weeds, reptiles and encroachers have taken over the Assin-Andoe new market in the Assin South District of the Central Region.
The structure constructed some decades ago has been abandoned by traders partly due to its location.
Some traders have also raised concerns about security and access to the market, leaving the place to rot.
The situation has compelled some of the traders to sell their foodstuffs on the streets, pavements, and walkways along the Yamoransa-Assin-Fosu highway.
A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to the market showed massive deterioration with the market’s environs being overgrown with weeds, which made it entirely impossible to locate the place.
It was even difficult to believe that the place is a market because some of the structures are in a deplorable state, while a section is being used as a refuse dump by residents.
A part of the market has also been encroached on by a wood processing company.
The GNA observed that some mentally challenged persons had also converted a portion into a place of abode, where they cook, wash and sleep.
There are also many makeshift structures erected at various points for use by traders from nearby communities on market days.
Frustrated by the trader’s reluctance to move to the new market, Mr Williams Appiah, the Assemblyman for Assin-Andoe Electoral Area, expressed the Assembly’s determination to work with the traditional authorities and other stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the problem.
Reacting to the state of the markets, Ms Felicia Ntrakwa Amissah, the District Chief Executive, said all attempts by her predecessors to compel the traders to use the new facility failed.
She blamed the situation on a lack of thorough consultations before the facility was constructed, “so we have started a rigorous campaign to bring all the stakeholders on board,” she stated.
