Editorial
Hawkers invade Tema Community One pavement
A session of the pavement invaded by traders
Dear Editor,
It is common knowledge that some traders across the various cities in Ghana use the pavements meant for pedestrians to sell their wares and Tema, the ‘model city’ of Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, is gradually losing its shine to this canker.
Selling on pavements has become a common practice at Tema Community One. The activities of these hawkers generate filth, cause human traffic, choke drains as well as cause vehicular congestion.
The situation is getting worse by the day following the inability of the Tema Municipal Assembly’s Task Force to live up to the task by clearing these hawkers.
These traders, mostly small-scale traders, set up their temporary shops on the pavements in order to sell their goods or render their services to passers-by. They sell a variety of goods including vegetables, fruits, household items, clothes and shoes.
While this practice provides a means of livelihood for people who would otherwise be unemployed, it poses numerous challenges of which the traders don’t seem to bother. It obstructs pedestrian movement and often causes congestion on the streets. The presence of these traders on the pavements creates a safety hazard for both the traders and pedestrians alike, as they often have to contend with vehicles and motorcycles racing along the streets. The sanitary conditions of the marketplaces on pavements are often poor, which pose a health risk for both the traders and the consumers. Garbage and waste is often left uncollected, and this creates an unsanitary environment with the potential of spreading diseases.
In an interview with some traders, their reason for trading on the pavement and the roads is due to lack of market space as majority of Ghanaians prefer to buy from the road side to the established markets. Some of these vendors on the pavements and roads said they make profit selling by the road side compared with the established markets.
A waakye seller Hajia Mariam said she sold her food early in the morning to those going to work along the road side.
Despite these challenges, the practice of traders selling on the pavements persists because, it provides an affordable option for many consumers who cannot afford to buy goods at the established markets like the Malls and the Shoprite. However, there is the need for the government to intervene and manage this informal trading sector for the safety and well-being of both the traders and the public.
Eva Boamah
Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ)
Editorial
Merits and demerits of scraping betting tax
Dear Editor,
Over the past years, a lot of concerns have been raised about the rise of sports betting companies in the country, their operations, and how it impacted negatively on the youth of the country.
I have also witnessed how some of the youth go to the extent of borrowing money from friends or use companies’ money to stake bets, which they were not guaranteed of winning.
Due to this, I was happy when the previous government introduced the betting tax, as I felt it would deter the youth from engaging in it.
However, some Ghanaians hold the view that the betting tax would help create employment.
It wasn’t surprising to see the excitement that greeted the announcement of the scrapping of the tax by the Finance Minister.
My worry now is how, as a country, the youth can be discouraged from engaging in betting.
I believe that as the betting tax has been scrapped, it is about time that the government finds ways of addressing the issue of betting among the youth as it is becoming more serious than before.
I believe that there should be a multi-stakeholder engagement between the various stakeholders to proffer solutions to address them.
Editorial
Rail crossing point at circle- Kaneshie road needs attention
Dear Editor,
I read with happiness a letter published in the previous edition about the poor state of the rail crossing stretch of the Circle-Kaneshie road.
I totally agree with the concerns raised by the writer and I wish to add my voice to the call on the authorities to quickly work on that stretch of the road.
What the writer left out was the occasional happenings when vehicles break down on the rail line. I have witnessed that before.
It is not a comfortable thing driving on it at all. It is a huge dent on the beauty the interchange was expected to bring to the area.
The traffic it creates is a major inconvenience to people who are rushing to work.
I wish to appeal to the authorities to quickly do something about that portion of the road to make it convenient for drivers. Thank you for the space.
Maxwell Amamoo,
Odorkor
