The redevelopment of Accra’s old Agbogbloshie onion market remains stalled years after its demolition.
The site, once notorious as “Africa’s e-waste nightmare” and one of the most polluted places globally, was demolished on July 1, 2021, to transform it. However, challenges persist, leaving traders in limbo and casting doubts on the project’s success.
Three years after the “Let’s Make Accra Work” decongestion led by former Greater Accra Regional Minister Henry Quartey, traders relocated to Adjen Kotoku and Dominase.
Despite challenges, scrap dealers have returned near the demolished site, citing lack of prior notice. The Old Fadama Clinic was also affected by the demolition.
The clinic’s practically abandoned state is evident from its deteriorating state and lack of patients, despite the fact that clinic staff declined to comment on the record.
Mason Nana Yaw Sackey, who was hired to help build the fence wall, complained about not getting paid even though she finished the job.
The 80 acres of recovered ground are being used for illegal dumping and open defecation, and they are rapidly decaying and returning to their former state. This is in stark contrast to the lofty objectives that the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) set forth when it moved traders in 2021.
As part of the government’s Agenda 111 plan, the previous Regional Minister disclosed that a portion of the recovered land was set aside for a state-of-the-art medical facility.
Years after the land was reclaimed, the project seems to have only lately started, despite this declaration.
But every effort to get in touch with the Ablekuma Central Municipal Assembly was unsuccessful.
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