The Greater Accra Minister, Hon. Ishmael Ashitey has performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the rebuilding of two major markets in the Shai Osudoku District in the Greater Accra Region.
The GH¢4.6 million project is intended to provide Dodowa and Asutuare markets with 40 lockable stalls, 40 open sheds and a crèche under the first and second phase respectively.
The project being executed by the Coastal Development Authority (CODA) under the One Constituency One Million Dollar government programme is expected to be completed in six months to boost the socio-economic activity of the district.
Dodowa and Asutuare is one of the biggest producers of farm produce, including rice, mango, maize, cassava and vegetable etc. but has little to show for due to the lack of a composed market, places of convenience, stores to house the produce of traders, modern car parks and proper sheds to protect the traders.
The Greater Accra Minister, Ishmael Ashitey, commended CODA for supporting the assembly to undertake the projects, which are indicators of the government’s belief in transforming the lives of the people through the provision of infrastructural projects.
The minister, urged the people to jealously guard the project to enable the contractor to ensure early completion and also charged the assembly to effectively supervise the contractor to ensure they adhere strictly to the health and safety protocols of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In addition, the minister urged the workers to wear their face masks and other personal protective equipment to safeguard themselves and the entire community against the spread of the virus.
He charged the contractor to recruit the labour force from the area, and also urged the people to offer the contractor the needed support to ensure that the project was completed on schedule.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CODA, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, who also gave over 4,000 nose masks for the various social and religious groups in the communities, said the facilities would transform the socio-economic lives of the people.
The chairman of the occasion, Okukurubour Nene Tei-Kwesi Agyeman V, urged the people to report any unproductive attitude of the contractor to the traditional authorities and advised those recruited from the area as artisans to obey simple instructions towards ensuring peace and harmony at the site of the construction.