News
Closure of Kejetia burnt area was advice from expert-Vice Chairman of Board
Nana Agyenim Boateng I, Amoamanhene and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Kejetia Market says the suggestion that the burnt area at the Kejetia market should be closed for an extra one week was based on expert’s advice.
Addressing the media in Kumasi, the Vice Chair said the expert from Avangarde Design services, after initial investigations recommended that the burnt area be cordoned off to allow for integrity test of the entire section.
This, he noted was to enable them to properly access the degree of damage to systems including the Electrical, Mechanical and Water in the entire portion.
‘’The Board based on advice from the expert who had carried out initial checks at the burnt area noted that we allow for a week’s interval for a third party to check the systems in the area before we allow for entry and so what our media release conveyed was not something any of us decided to do for any other ulterior or negative motives’’, the Vice Chair stated.
Details:
The Vice Chair said the plan of action and recommendation was for us to completely isolate the affected area with its connections until the inspections and the test results were concluded.
We were to review, repair and re-commission the fire pumps mechanically and electrically by a third party as recommended and advised by Contracta in the past.
Furthermore, we were to remove any material unrelated to the fire pump’s operation from the Pump Room.
‘’Additionally among other things we were to review the maintenance, operations and safety plans available in the market Phase 1 staff to improving the predictive or corrective maintenance actions and regular inspections practices’’, the Vice Chairman stated.
Metering System Explanation:
Addressing the disinformation about the metering system at Kejetia, the Vice Board Chairman said the market has the best in the country.
He said the Kejetia Market is on the bulk Metering system which has demarcation for every line of installation with its individual switches.
The Vice chairman said the system is what is being used by all the shopping malls in the country and other big companies.
“People have been given the impression that one meter is being used by the Kejetia traders at the market but it is rather a bulk Metering system we are operating where all the electrical lines converge at one point but each of the lines have their own switches and this is the reason that even after the fire outbreak we were able to isolate the lines that were affected with the unaffected having electricity”, Nana Boateng explained.
Mayor:
On his part Board Chairman of the Kejetia Market and Mayor for Kumasi, Hon Sam Pyne said it is erroneous for people to impute ill motives to the directive the Board gave in the aftermath of the fire outbreak.
He noted that in situations like fire outbreaks and others, the lives of people were important to protect than any other thing.
The Mayor noted that KMA and the managers of the Kejetia market stand ready to protect the lives of the people trading in the arena and to also protect the investments government has put into the development of the market.
‘’I will take this opportunity to educate that the Kejetia is being run by a limited liability company by name Kejetia Market Company Limited and therefore as Board members we supervise their actions and would therefore not allow anything untoward to be carried out here and whiles waiting for the yet to be inaugurated committee to conduct and finish their investigations we would do all we can to safeguard lives and property here’’, the Mayor stressed.
The government is set to lay before Parliament today, November 21, a Constitutional Instrument (C.I) seeking to restrict the importation of selected strategic products into the country.
The items, numbering over 20, will include rice, tripe (popularly called “yemuadie” in Ghana), and diapers.
The government said the move is part of efforts to enhance local production.
Speaking during a press briefing in Parliament, the Minister of Trade and Industry, K.T Hammond said, “Stomach of animals, bladder and the chunk of intestines (yemuadie), the country had had to put in an amount of about $164 million towards the importation of these items. We are taking steps to ensure that in terms of rice, there’s no poverty of rice in the country.”
He emphasized, “By these restrictions, we are not going to ensure that there’s no food in the country at all; that is not the point at all. There have to be some efforts by the government to ensure that we go back to Acheampong’s operation feed yourself. There are about 22 items on the list, one of them, I think, is diapers.”
He announced the introduction of the Ghana Standards Authority Regulations 2023, which also seeks to streamline the manufacturing of cement to ensure competitive pricing.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia says former President John Dramani Mahama does not understand the 24-hour economy policy he is proposing.
According to the Vice President, that policy is already being implemented in the country, as hospitals, fuel companies, among others, operate a 24-hour system.
Dr. Bawumia, therefore, urged Ghanaians to ignore Mahama during the 2024 polls since he has nothing new to offer and vote for the New Patriotic Party.
“John Mahama says he has a new idea. What is the idea? He says he wants a 24-hour economy. He doesn’t even understand that policy. Today in Ghana, our hospitals work 24 hours, our electricity company works 24 hours, our water company works 24 hours, our fuel stations work 24 hours, and many chop bars work 24 hours. Today because of digitalisation, you can transfer money 24 hours, you can receive money 24 hours… So he doesn’t understand his own policy. It doesn’t make sense.”
“So I want you to vote for me in 2024 because I will bring a new vision, I will bring a new policy. Mahama is the past, Dr Bawumia is the future. If John Mahama was there, we would say we have a dumsor economy, you can’t have a 24-hour economy in dumsor. So, you want to vote for Dr Bawumia in 2024, we will take the country to new heights,” Dr Bawumia stated.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has accused the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of pressuring the House to pass a number of bills under a certificate of urgency.
Mr. Bagbin cited bills such as the Affirmative Action Bill, which is allegedly being pushed by the IMF as part of the conditionality for the balance of the $3 billion credit facility for Ghana.
Speaking at the Speaker’s Breakfast Meeting on Monday, Alban Bagbin insisted that the House will not be coerced by the IMF to pass the bill.
“Even in this budget, you can see the arm of the IMF in a lot of provisions in the budget. A critical bill like the Affirmative Action Gender Equality Bill has come to Parliament under a certificate of urgency. Please, it won’t happen; we won’t pass it under a certificate of urgency.”
“There are critical stakeholders we must consult and make sure we go together. We will not be dictated by the IMF; that one, you can be assured. This is a very critical bill that the IMF should know that we need the buy-in of the stakeholders to be able to implement it,” Alban Bagbin said.
The Affirmative Action Bill, when passed into law, would seek to expunge the historically low representation of women in decision-making spaces and promote democracy and development through all-inclusive participation.
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