The Hain Zonal Council in the Jirapa Municipality has appealed to the government to upgrade the long‑abandoned Hain Market Project into a modern 24‑hour economy market.
It described the market’s continued abandonment as a development injustice and a missed economic opportunity.
The council said the market project, initiated in 2000 under the Jubilee Market Programme, has remained uncompleted for 26 years, leaving traders to operate under harsh weather conditions and denying the municipality the full benefits of the investment.
Addressing the media at Hain last Tuesday, the Chairman of the Hain Zonal Council, Joseph Viele, said the market was conceived to modernise local trade, improve sanitation and boost Internally Generated Funds (IGF), but was abandoned following a change in government.
He stressed that the appeal was non‑partisan and focused on development.
Revenue contribution
Mr Viele said the economic viability of the Hain Market had already been demonstrated, citing a partial intervention in 2024 under the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion Project (SOCO), which led to increased business activity and job creation.
He said the council generated GH¢83,513 in 2024, which increased to GH¢102,906 in 2025, despite the absence of modern market infrastructure.
According to him, in the first quarter of 2025, Hain contributed GH¢26,807, representing 60.97 per cent of the municipality’s total revenue of GH¢43,972.20, while the remaining seven zonal and urban councils accounted for 39.03 per cent.
Strategic location
Mr Viele said the strategic location of the Hain Market, which serves traders from Wa, Lawra, Lambussie, Nadowli Kaleo, Daffiama‑Bussie‑Issa and the Sissala areas, as well as its role as a transit and aggregation point for cross‑border trade between Ghana and Burkina Faso, justified its upgrading into a 24‑hour economy hub.
He described the proposed upgrade as a strategic capital investment with multiple economic returns for the municipality and the Upper West Region as a whole.
Planning and coordination
The Hain Zonal Council appealed to the Ministers for Local Government and Rural Development and Education, as well as the Upper West Regional Minister, to ensure coordination between economic infrastructure development and human capital growth within the municipality.
Traditional authority
The Chief of Languollo, Imoro Abdul Kaweu, described the prolonged neglect of the market as unjust, noting that traders continued to pay tolls and levies despite operating under challenging conditions.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh