Mr. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Takoradi constituency, has spoken with market vendors and other merchants in the Takoradi Central Business District (CBD) to talk about their difficulties and potential solutions.
The purpose of the engagement was to provide him the chance to get to know the merchants’ operations, to support them in the face of the current economic challenges, and to reassure them of the government’s commitment to addressing concerns brought on by COVID-19 and the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The Market Circle and the Ghana Private Road Trade Union (GPRTU) Takoradi-Cape Coast Station, as well as market vendors in the Takoradi temporary market at Jubilee Park, were among the locations visited as part of the engagement.
The most urgent concerns that the traders discussed with the MP during multiple sessions held at different locations were theft and their challenges to obtain small loans from MASLOC for their businesses.
In response to the merchants’ worries, Mr. Darko-Mensah, who serves as the Western Regional Minister, assured them that he would keep an eye on the loan situation and ensure that their problems were addressed so they could get the loans they required to develop their businesses.
He begged them to make sure they returned the loan promptly so that others may utilize it to grow their businesses.
The MP informed the market vendors that the vendors now operating in the Jubilee Market will soon be moving to the new market.
The government was concerned about their wellbeing since merchants provided a big economic contribution to local assemblies, said Mr. Darko-Mensah, who acknowledged the role that traders played in the nation’s economic growth.