The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Nana Oye Lithur has backed calls for thorough investigations into last Sunday's fire that razed about two-thirds of the Kantamanto Market, leaving traders utterly devastated. Oye Lithur directed further, the agencies to be involved in the investigations to ensure that safety measures instituted are functional, while demanding accountability from persons responsible for their implementation. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is the Government Machinery mandated to ensure the promotion of gender equality through the mainstreaming of gender considerations to all persons especially the vulnerable. A statement issued by Mercy C. Adjabeng Communications Advisor to the Ministry, expressed sympathies to the traders who lost their merchandise and livelihoods with its rippling economic effects on their families. "As we empathise with the traders, the Ministry wishes to reiterate calls by other significant authorities for a thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of the inferno, while calling on the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) to expedite action on the necessary assessment and recommendations for the needed action. "The Ministry also calls on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (A.M.A.) and other Assemblies to collaborate with the Ghana National Fire Service, Architects and Engineers to design markets and public places with outmost safety measures instituted. They must also be proactive in ensuring that these measures are functional, while demanding accountability from persons responsible for their implementation. "Finally, the Ministry calls upon Financial and Insurance Institutions to design insurance products suitable for small scale and medium traders and businesses and intensify sensitization strategies to make these products highly patronised". The statement hoped while the Ministry and its agencies put in interim measures to mitigate the devastating impact on these traders, the incident will be a wakeup call to ensure that safety measures and bye-laws are strictly adhered to in this country.