The Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly, in collaboration with neighbouring assemblies, is planning a major decongestion exercise at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle enclave in Accra, following a fire outbreak that destroyed several shops and displaced traders.

The fire occurred at the VVIP bus station at Circle on Tuesday, January 20, raising renewed concerns about congestion, sanitation and emergency access in the busy commercial area.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ayawaso East, Rudolf Coolingwood William, announced the plan while interacting with the media during a tour of the area by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, who was assessing sanitation conditions after the incident.

Mr William said poor planning within the market significantly hampered firefighting efforts.

“We realised that the market has not been well developed, so access to the market for the fire tender, even for human activities, was very difficult,” he said.

He explained that the Assembly intends to use the incident as an opportunity to clear the area and pave the way for redevelopment.

“We are clearing the whole place to make sure that we have redevelopment in the area,” he stated, adding that the objective is also “to make sure that the entire Circle is being kept clean when it comes to sanitation and human activities”.

The MCE disclosed that discussions had already taken place with the Accra Mayor and other stakeholders on the planned decongestion exercise.

“We will have a serious decongestion exercise. We will have a press conference tomorrow to make sure that we create awareness,” he said.

According to him, traders will be informed in advance to avoid claims of inadequate notice.

“People will not say that we have not advised them or made them aware that this is the exercise coming,” he added.

Describing Circle as “a very difficult and tough area”, Mr William said enforcement would be firm.

“Sometimes, if you don’t go a bit hard, you cannot get the menace in the area,” he said, describing congestion at Circle as “a mess”.

He noted that sanitation challenges persist despite regular clean-up exercises.

“We clean today, tomorrow you come, we see the same thing,” he said.

Mr William indicated that the operation will be guided by “a very comprehensive plan” involving the three municipalities that share boundaries around Circle, with the aim of keeping the area clean and orderly.

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, urged the Assembly to engage traders extensively ahead of the decongestion exercise and to provide alternative locations for them to continue their businesses.

She revealed that the Ghana National Fire Service has yet to submit a full report on the cause of the fire.

“The cause of the fire is not yet known because we are still waiting for the Fire Service to give us the feedback,” she said.

The Regional Minister also expressed concern about unsafe practices at the site, including cooking and the storage of gas cylinders.

She disclosed that “more than 50 gas cylinders” were retrieved during the assessment, explaining that congestion and unregulated activities delayed firefighting efforts.

“It took some time for the Fire Service to quench the fire because they couldn’t access the place. We even had to break some walls before the tender was able to come in,” she said.

Mrs Ocloo said the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has been tasked to assess the damage and submit a report.

She assured affected traders of government support, stressing that steps are being taken to address their situation.

“No matter what it is, the government is ready to support them,” she said.

However, she cautioned traders to take safety advice seriously, noting the frequency of fire outbreaks in markets and calling for cooperation with the Assembly.

“It’s becoming non-becoming. Please help us so that we can also work and help you. Allow the Assembly to develop the place properly so that we can trade nicely in a serene environment. At the end of the day, the stores will be enough to accommodate everybody,” she added.