One year after a fire swept through sections of the Kantamanto Market, traders say the emphasis has shifted from mourning losses to rebuilding structures, strengthening safety systems and restoring confidence, even as business activity remains below pre-fire levels.
The Kantamanto Market, West Africa’s largest trading hub for second-hand clothing and household items, was badly affected by the blaze, which destroyed hundreds of stalls and goods valued at millions of Ghana cedis.
The incident displaced thousands of traders, the majority of them women, and disrupted supply chains nationwide.
Chairman of the Kantamanto Used Clothes Association, Mr Micheal Oppong, in an interview said that although trading had resumed, full recovery was still a work in progress.
“We have been able to rebuild with support from benevolent individuals, banks and NGOs, and trading has resumed,” he said. “But the market has not yet regained the energy and volumes we used to see before the fire.”
Rather than dwell solely on reduced sales, Mr Oppong said market leaders were prioritising long-term safety and order. He explained that enhanced security arrangements had been introduced in collaboration with state agencies to prevent a recurrence of the disaster.
According to him, Fire Service personnel now operate on a three-shift system at the market, supported by the Police, National Security and internal security teams.
Trading activities are halted at 1800 hours daily to allow cleaners to work, after which the market is handed over to security personnel for the night.
He added that the Association had intensified efforts to eliminate illegal electrical connections, often cited as a major cause of market fires, warning that offenders would face sanctions.
Despite the progress, Mr Oppong acknowledged that not all traders had been able to return. Many, he said, lacked the capital to restart after losing everything in the fire.
“Those who had support from family or friends are back, but others are still struggling, especially women. We are appealing for continued assistance,” he noted.
He said the current security arrangement was being financed from internally mobilised funds, describing it as unsustainable in the long term.
However, he expressed optimism about future plans, revealing that proposals for an ultramodern market had been submitted to the Presidency.
“No trader will lose his or her stall under the proposed redevelopment,” he assured.
On fire preparedness, Mr Oppong said the Ghana National Fire Service had trained traders in fire prevention and the use of extinguishers, adding that about 1,000 extinguishers had been distributed across the market, with 170 mounted at strategic locations.
He admitted, however, that insuring goods remained difficult, as insurers considered the market high-risk due to its predominantly wooden structures.
He also renewed calls on President John Dramani Mahama and former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to fulfil pledges to install CCTV cameras to enhance security.
While safety reforms were underway, some traders blamed slow recovery on rising input costs and structural challenges.
Mr Godfred Afotey, Chairman of the Bright Morning Star Association, said high prices of second-hand clothing bales were affecting sales.
“Even though import duties have reduced, middlemen still control the supply chain, making bales expensive and forcing traders to sell at higher prices,” he said.
He also pointed to congestion caused by traders operating on streets and railway lines, which he said diverted customers from the main market.
He called on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to enforce regulations and relocate roadside traders back into designated market spaces.
Personal losses from the fire remain fresh for many. Mrs Philippa Adusei, a market queen and trader in household items for over two decades, said she lost goods worth nearly GH¢100,000 and had only managed to restart with help from relatives and friends.
Another trader, Madam Sophia Akua Pokua Amoah, said business was still slow because many customers believed the market had not fully reopened.
She said she lost about GH¢50,000 in goods and was surviving by selling items obtained on credit, adding that persistent power outages were worsening working conditions.
Despite the challenges, traders expressed cautious hope that sustained support, better infrastructure and improved safety measures would gradually restore Kantamanto’s role as a vibrant commercial hub.
