Market women and traders at the Kejetia Market in Kumasi are calling for urgent improvements in sanitation to reduce health risks for both traders and customers.
They say the market’s poor sanitary conditions—caused by inadequate dustbins, indiscriminate littering, and improper waste disposal—pose a growing threat to public health.
Madam Akosua Birago, a foodstuff seller, told the Ghana News Agency that traders work from morning to evening in unhygienic conditions that endanger their wellbeing. She said refuse often piles up at collection points for long periods, producing foul odours and attracting insects that drive customers away.
Food vendor Madam Patricia Annor partly blamed fellow traders, noting that many fail to sweep their stalls after sales, leaving rubbish scattered across the market. She urged her colleagues to keep their trading areas clean.
A health worker at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Okofo Gyasi Serwaah, warned that the poor state of sanitation could spread diseases such as cholera and typhoid, while worsening conditions for asthmatic patients due to the foul stench from uncollected refuse.
She recommended monthly clean-up exercises, increased hygiene education, and the provision of more dustbins throughout the market. She further appealed to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly to hire more cleaners to ensure timely waste collection and prevent refuse build-up.
According to her, these measures would greatly reduce health risks and create a safer environment for trading at Kejetia.
Source: GNA
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