The Ashaiman Municipal Assembly has defended its decision to redevelop the Ashaiman Central Market into a modern 24-hour economy market, citing limited land availability within the municipality as the main reason for restructuring the existing facility instead of relocating it.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ashaiman, Freeman Tsekpo, said the market’s strategic location at the centre of Ashaiman makes it a suitable site for redevelopment into a modern commercial hub capable of boosting economic activity and improving trading conditions.
Registration Committee
Speaking after inaugurating a 13-member committee to register traders operating in the market, Mr Tsekpo explained that the current state of the market required urgent modernisation to address congestion, poor infrastructure, and increasing commercial demands.
“As I said earlier, our market in its current state needs redevelopment. It is also located at the centre of Ashaiman, so utilising that space becomes the best option,” he stated.
According to him, relocating the proposed 24-hour economy market to another location would be difficult because of the municipality’s limited land space.
“Ashaiman does not have lands. If we are to look for a four-acre plot that can accommodate the market, it is most likely we will not get any bare land suitable for such a project in Ashaiman,” he said.
Mr Tsekpo explained that the redevelopment project forms part of broader government efforts to transform the municipality’s commercial landscape and support the proposed 24-hour economy policy.
The committee, inaugurated on Thursday, May 7, 2026, has been tasked with collecting data on all traders currently operating in the market, including those occupying shops, sheds, tabletops and open spaces.
Redistribution guide
Mr Tsekpo said the database would guide the redistribution of stores and trading spaces after the redevelopment is completed, and assured traders that allocations would be based on those already operating in the market before construction begins.
“We want to collect the data of everybody currently trading in the market.
This will become the source data for the redevelopment project,” he stated.
A representative of the Ashaiman Traditional Council and member of the committee, Simon Amui Tettey, welcomed the initiative and urged traders to support the exercise, describing the redevelopment as a major step toward transforming and beautifying Ashaiman.
He said for years, the municipality had seen little development, but recent interventions under the leadership of John Dramani Mahama were beginning to bring renewed hope to residents and traders. END
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