Hundreds of market women at Effiduasi in the Ashanti Region are demanding access to stalls after paying a contractor for the renovation of the market.

The traders allege the Sekyere East District Assembly instructed them to pay the contractor for the rehabilitation, with the promise that each woman would be allotted a stall once the work was completed.

However, the spaces are being allocated to unknown persons after the project's completion.

Over a hundred traders of the Effiduase Market, mostly women, hit the streets with placards to protest against the local assembly and the contractor for failing to award them their spaces to trade after paying for the market rehabilitation.

The traders expressed their anger and disappointment in the former District Chief Executive for Sekyere East, Osei Adiyiah.

They are demanding a refund of their money or access to the stalls.

“They promised to rebuild the market for 210 Ghana cedis, allowing partial payments, with the council we appointed in charge. However, we’ve heard nothing from the DC. We need our stores and our money,” a trader, said.

Another said: “If we don’t get our money or access to the store, I’ll enter without permission. My items are all rusted now”.

But the project contractor has denied the allegations.

CEO of Andy Bell Construction Company, Andrew Acheampong, says the funds were paid to the Sekyere East District Assembly.

He therefore urged the traders to seek a refund from the Assembly.

“It’s false that all marketers paid me. Only 16 people did, and they have received their shops,” he said.