Devastating fire at Kantamanto market in Accra! Thousands of traders affected and immense economic losses. The authorities are investigating the causes of this disaster which plunges many families into uncertainty. Government under pressure to provide emergency aid.
It was a real drama that unfolded Wednesday evening in the Ghanaian capital. A huge fire reduced the country’s largest second-hand clothing market, Kantamanto, located in the heart of Accra’s business district, to ashes. This disaster of unprecedented scale devastated large portions of this emblematic place, putting thousands of traders out of business and inflicting colossal economic losses on a local scale.
A devastating disaster that plunges thousands of families into uncertainty
Started late on Wednesday evening for a reason still unknown, the flames spread at lightning speed, leaving no chance for the approximately 30,000 sellers who earn their income from this vast informal commercial space. Despite the rapid intervention of firefighters who mobilized no less than thirteen fire-fighting vehicles, a spectacle of desolation was seen on Thursday morning.
According to Alex King Nartey, spokesperson for the emergency services, although fortunately no serious casualties have been reported, the material damage is immense and the damage to the local economy extremely heavy. The alleys that were yesterday so lively have given way to an immense field of smoking ruins, a silent witness to the violence of the flames.
Distraught traders facing an uncertain future
For the thousands of sellers, often specializing in the resale of second-hand clothes imported at low prices from Europe, this is a real blow. Fred Asiedu, 45, does not hide his dismay:
Everything I owned was here – my goods, my savings, my future… Now everything is lost. How will I be able to start again? The government must help us, otherwise our life will become hell.
A feeling shared by Adjoa Amu, mother of three children who has made a living from her business for 12 years. With the total destruction of his stock, his entire family suddenly finds itself without resources and the future of his children jeopardized.
A major economic disaster, the government under pressure
Beyond individual dramas, it’s all the local economy which will pay a heavy price following this disaster. A true commercial hub of the capital, Kantamanto generated countless direct and indirect jobs and vital financial flows for many low-income households.
David Kwadwo Amoateng, president of the Ghana Traders Association, urges the authorities to act quickly to support the victims:
This market is a pillar of our economy. Thousands of people have lost everything. An emergency fund must be released immediately or their income and survival will be threatened.
For the moment, the government has not yet announced concrete measures. But faced with the scale of the human and economic disaster, pressure is mounting for a vast support plan is quickly put in place in order to come to the aid of the victims and enable the reconstruction of this vital site for an entire segment of the population.
The causes of the disaster at the heart of the questions
If the priority is first to help the victims, the investigation into the origins of the fire is also eagerly awaited. According to initial findings, an electrical fault could be the cause of the fire. But the criminal trail has not been ruled out at this stage either.
The operations to completely extinguish the fire could continue until Friday according to the firefighters, testifying to the exceptional violence of the flames which devastated everything in their path. The firefighting service, which deployed considerable resources, will also have to determine whether all the prevention measures were in place on this exposed site.
One thing is certain, while the damage is already estimated in millions of Ghana cedis, this catastrophic fire will leave indelible traces and deep scars in the lives of thousands of small traders. Let us hope that the government will be able to take stock of this tragedy to provide a response that meets the human and economic challenges involved.
