55 year old is first market queen for CMB
Over the years, the market is the traditional place where there is an exchange of goods and services.
Be it from food stuff, clothings, cosmetics among others.
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In the traditional market settings, women most often dominate as market women as it is seen as their preserve.
For the past 35 years, 55 year old Madam Grace Konu has been selling tomatoes at the CMB market in Accra.
She inherited the trade from her mother who also sold tomatoes her whole lifetime.
Last Saturday, Madam Konu was enstooled by the Ga, Gbese and Korley stools as the Market Queen for the CMB Market under the stool name Naa Ayekai Korley Didor I (Dzalanye).
Naa Didor I started her tomato selling business from the Kaneshie Market before moving to her present place at ‘CMB’.
Traditional ceremony
A traditional ceremony was held at the Kokomlemle Mantse Palace to formally initiate the queen into office. Under the supervision of the Korley Priestess, Naa Korley, she was made to swear an oath of allegiance after which a traditional ceremony was held to purify her.
A libation prayer was made to invite blessings, guidance and protection for her.
She was then clothed in white garment, while well-wishers, friends and families made merry and congratulated her on her enstoolment.
The Adabraka Mantse, Nii Tetteh Adjebeng II said since the inception of the Ga Traditional Council of chiefs, there had not been any such enstoolment.
Naa Didor has now resumed her role as the overall queen of the CMB, some sections along the Agbogbloshie railway, Kingsway, traders around Accra Brewery, Liberty Avenue, Farisco and its surrounding areas in Accra.
Reasons for enstoolment
The Asafoatse of the Adabraka, Nii Annang Oti Kababang said it was time for stool owners to benefit from their stool lands.
He said the enstoolment of a market queen was very necessary because she would serve as a mediator between chiefs and traders, explaining that she would be responsible for communicating policies of the chiefs to the traders, while she also communicated their worries, needs and challenges to the chiefs.
The Asafoatse also said the queen would help check the act of some unscrupulous people who went to the traders claiming to be sent by the chiefs in order to extract money from them, explaining that every policy would be made in the knowledge of the queen.
Qualification for enstoolment
The Kokomlemle Mantse, Nuumo Okai Keteku I, said there were no laid down criteria or qualification for one to be enstooled as a market queen but the queen must adhere to all rules and regulations of the stool.
He said the queen could not be sued and could sue, in the case of any legal matters, she could only report to the chief’s council to handle in her stead.
Nii Keteku told the Daily Graphic that the tenure of office as a queen was for a lifetime and would not expire. He finally gave an assurance that the stool and the council of chiefs were behind her in all matters.
Naa Didor, in an interview later, said she would use her office to settle disputes and misunderstanding among traders under her jurisdiction in order to promote a peaceful working environment.
She further said she would also abide by the rules and regulations of the stool so that collectively they could promote discipline and development in the various markets in Accra.
Naa Didor says tomatoes selling was a very lucrative business and since she lost her husband, it is from the business that she catered for her three children who were all graduates from various tertiary institutions.
Challenges
Naa Didor said the business has recently taken a different turn due to some challenges.
She explained that some market leaders in Accra team up with other tomato sellers from different regions to bring their produce down to Accra to sell, and when this happens, tomatoes become abundant in Accra, get rotten within few days and are thrown away.
In addition, she said traders in Accra-CMB import about 50 trucks of tomatoes from Burkina-Faso every day, these traders according to her work with bank loans and incur debts when their products go waste.
Naa Didor I pleaded with the government and other stakeholders to come to their aid by making rules and regulations to regulate the activities of market leaders and also punish anyone found violating the rules.
She added that she would also use her office to work hand-in-hand with chiefs and other market queens to ensure good sanitation in the various markets.
She said she would ensure that all the women were brought under one umbrella so that they could enjoy loan facilities and other educational training as a group.