Mahama Meets with Kantamanto Fire Victims, Outlines Relief Measures
Accra, Ghana - 13 Jan, 2025 - Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama has met with victims of the recent Kantamanto market fire, outlining measures to prevent similar incidents and provide relief to affected traders.
President Mahama expressed sympathies to the victims and reiterated the government's commitment to providing immediate relief and long-term solutions. To address the recurring market fires, he announced several directives, including:
- Enhanced Market Security: Increased night patrols to deter potential arsonists and tighten security at major markets.
- Strategic Fire Tender Deployment: Stationing fire tenders near major markets at night to ensure swift response in case of a fire outbreak.
- CCTV Installation: Plans to install CCTV cameras at major markets to enhance surveillance and identify potential culprits.
- Market Reconstruction: Assurances that affected traders will reclaim their spaces once the market is rebuilt, with a call to design a more modern and safer structure.
President Mahama emphasized the government's commitment to alleviating the suffering of affected traders, urging market leaders to engage with government agencies for immediate relief and long-term support.
“In the nighttime, these fires take place, and that gives us room for suspicion that there are people who are deliberately doing this,” the President remarked. “How the fire can decide that it’s only in the night that it ignites and burns is beyond anybody’s imagination.”
“Where there are major markets, fire tenders should be deployed close by in the night so that they can quench any fire before it causes significant damage.''
''In adversity, there is opportunity,” Mahama said. “Now that the market has burned down, this is a chance to reconstruct it better than it was before.”
“Government is determined that nobody should be displaced because of this fire,” he assured. “Everybody should be able to get back their place in the market,'' he added.
The Kantamanto fire is one of several market fires that have caused significant economic losses in Ghana, with concerns over market safety growing.
Source: Lead News Online
