Takoradi Market traders demand urgent action over delayed redevelopment project

Takoradi Market traders are demanding urgent government intervention over delays in the completion of the redevelopment project, five years after they were relocated from the original market. The traders described their situation as "harrowing," saying the prolonged delay has caused severe financial and emotional hardship. The traders are appealing to President John Dramani Mahama, Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson, and Takoradi Member of Parliament Kobina Okyere Darko-Mensah to provide a clear timeline for the completion of the project.

The traders were relocated to the temporary market site at the Ghapoha Junior Club House area after the previous New Patriotic Party administration declared that the old market structure was weak and required redevelopment. The traders alleged that many of them paid between GH¢400 and GH¢1,000 to secure structures at the temporary site. The traders also raised concerns about the quality and long-term safety of the new market structure, claiming they had received information that parts of the facility were being treated with anti-rust materials due to its proximity to the sea. The traders claim the prolonged delay has had devastating effects on many affected traders, alleging that some have died while others have become bedridden due to economic hardship linked to the relocation.

The Takoradi Market Circle redevelopment project commenced in April 2020. The €48 million project includes the construction of more than 2,400 shops, restaurants, offices, bulk-breaking areas, parking facilities, a police and fire station, clinic, and daycare centre. During an inspection tour in November 2025, Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson assured traders that the project remained a priority and that the contractor would return to site after the completion of the debt restructuring process. Earlier this month, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, disclosed that the project was about