Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Minister, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has urged traders at Accra’s Okaishie and Makola Markets to adopt fair and reasonable pricing during the Christmas season, as the government pushes for recent economic stability to translate into lower costs for consumers.
The call was made during a working visit to the two markets, which are central to retail trade in the capital and a bellwether for household consumption trends. The visit focused on assessing trading activity, understanding sales patterns during the festive period and gathering firsthand feedback from traders on market conditions. The Minister was accompanied by the Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, and the President of the Ghana Union of Traders Associations.
Ofosu-Adjare told traders that improved macroeconomic indicators must be reflected in pricing behaviour, particularly during peak demand periods such as Christmas. She said fair pricing would help protect consumers’ purchasing power while reinforcing confidence in the market and the broader economic recovery.
She also conveyed President John Mahama’s Christmas greetings to traders nationwide and encouraged them to take advantage of the relative stability in prices and exchange rates to support demand rather than dampen it through excessive mark-ups.
GUTA President Clement Boateng welcomed the engagement and credited government policy interventions with helping to stabilise the economy. He said the measures had provided some relief to both traders and consumers, though he stressed that sustained enforcement of market regulations remained critical.
Boateng appealed to government to strengthen the enforcement of existing laws that bar foreigners from participating in retail trade, arguing that continued breaches place local traders at a competitive disadvantage and erode margins.
The National Women Organiser of GUTA, Pearl Poku, said the appointment of a female Trade Minister had boosted morale among traders, particularly women who dominate informal retail trade. She pledged the support of traders for the government’s industrialisation and economic transformation agenda.
The visit forms part of the Ministry’s broader strategy to engage key market stakeholders, ensure policy responsiveness and promote inclusive, private sector-led growth anchored in domestic trade and consumer demand.
