Ultimatum to Novotel traders

Front Page: Daily Graphic, May 22, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) have resolved that all traders at the Novotel Trading Park should relocate to the Pedestrian Mall at Odawna by Sunday.
The resolution was arrived at after an emergency RCC meeting yesterday to review the decision of the AMA to move the traders to the pedestrian mall.
The RCC had, in a letter dated May 5, 2010 and signed by its Chief Director, Mr F.T. Nartey, directed the AMA “to put on hold any movement of the traders from Novotel area to Odawna” until the RCC was convinced that the situation on the ground was conducive for the traders to move in.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic after the joint meeting, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashitey, said although some minor works needed to be done, the RCC had directed the AMA to complete them latest by today to facilitate the movement of the traders.
He said some of the works included the completion of the fence wall, access for rain water to pass into the main drains and compacting the ground.
The regional minister said the AMA was also asked to move in swiftly to settle the differences among the traders and prevent their ranks from being split along political lines.
Nii Ashitey said the AMA was also tasked to set up a management team to supervise the allocation of stalls and the movement of the traders to avoid further confusion.
According to him, some of the leaders of the traders had been accused of collecting money from the traders before allocating them stalls, saying that was not in the scheme of things for the resettlement.
The movement of the Novotel traders had generated tension between the traders and the AMA and also created a wedge between the RCC and the AMA, as the assembly felt the RCC was interfering in its work.
In the heat of the confusion, claims of ownership of the park plunged the matter into further controversy, with two other organisations claiming ownership of the land, as the authorities of the Kinbu Senior High/Technical School and representatives of a company, Dream Reality Limited, which claims to have acquired the property from the Accra City Management Company (ACMC), also entered the fray.
Yesterday’s meeting did not, however, discuss the issue of the ownership of the land, as that is to be handled at another level.