Banda Fish Market lacks amenities, traders sell on bare floor
THE Banda-Battor Fish Market, located about 15-minute drive from Banda Ahenkro, the Banda district capital in the Bono Region, is the only market in the area.
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Located at the upstream of the Bui Dam, people travel from all walks of life to transact business at the market.
Before the establishment of the market in 2023, there was no single market, including every day market, in the area for residents to transact businesses, which made it extremely difficult for them to obtain their basic needs.
The market was created by some fishermen and residents living at the upstream of the Bui Dam last year.
The market, which started slowly, has grown faster to become one of the famous and biggest markets in the region.
Operational day
There is virtually everything one needs to buy in the market which operates on Thursdays ranging from food items, livestock, used cloths and footwear.
Others include mobile phones, cosmetics, palm oil, and cooking utensils among other commodities.
However, since the market was created purposely for fish trading, fish is the dominant commodity as every corner one passes, one is sure to meet fish sellers.
With as little as GH₵50, one can patronise the market with assurance of purchasing some items, particularly fish because the commodities at the market are affordable.
When the Daily Graphic visited the market recently, there were several traders across the country to patronise the market.
Some of the traders told the Daily Graphic that they travelled from Accra, Kumasi, Techiman, Sunyani, Tamale, Bole, Yeji, Atebubu, Wenchi and Nkoranza, among others to transact business.
Poor state
Despite being the only market serving the chiefs and people in the area, the market is in a poor state, as there is no single structure constructed for the traders.
Hundreds of traders, who travel across the country to trade at the market, sell their items, including foodstuff on the bare floor and under the scorching sun.
During the dry season, the entire market is dusty, polluting the fish and other commodities displayed on the bare floor.
The traders' plight worsens when it starts raining during trading hours because there is no single structure for the traders to seek refuge with their items.
Additionally, when it rains, the entire market area is submerged in water, leaving the traders frustrated.
It is devastating to see traders, particularly lactating mothers, sitting in the dusty environment and under heavy scorching sun with their little children to trade.
During market days, some traders have to erect makeshift structures to provide shade to enable them to transact their businesses.
Though it is a booming market every Thursday, the poor situation is killing the spirit and the interest of traders to travel long distances to trade at the market.
Extremely difficult
A trader, Mamunatu Mahamadu, told the Daily Graphic that trading at the market was extremely difficult since there were no structures and electricity to provide shelter and power respectively.
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She said the dusty nature of the market also posed a danger to their health and appealed to the government to construct structures to bring relief to them and boost their trading activities.
Mrs Mahamadu said part of the structures could also be used as accommodation, since majority of them travelled from other regions to trade at the market.
She said trading at the Banda-Battor Fish Market was very lucrative, but lacked social amenities such as electricity and structures that made trading in the area very difficult.
Mrs Mahamadu explained that such poor trading conditions could collapse the market if measures were not put in place to resolve the situation.
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New market
In order to save the only market from collapsing and generate revenue for the assembly, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Ahmed Ibrahim, has earmarked GH₵ 10 million to redevelop an abandoned project at Bungase into a new market.
The project, which is at the foundation level was part of the Banda Landing Beach Project started in 2015 by the Bui Power Authority (BPA).
The project has a total of 148 shops and it is expected to include facilities such as washrooms, mechanised boreholes and would be connected to electricity.
When the Daily Graphic visited the site, there was a heavy duty equipment busily clearing the site to pave way for the redevelopment of the market project.
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The project, which is sited on a 40-acre land, is expected to be completed in two months.
Crucial project
Mr Ibrahim told the Daily Graphic that he considered the project crucial because of the poor condition under which the traders were transacting businesses in the area.
“The traders are suffering; they are inhaling dust which is likely to affect their health. The more the project delays, the more we are inviting sickness to them.
“So, I am stopping all my ongoing projects within this period to ensure that the market is completed within the scheduled two months,” he said.
Mr Ibrahim said he would invest all his share of the MP's Common Fund and other funds allocated to him in the project.
He said he had planned to also provide means of transport to the traders and support fisher folks with outboard motors to enhance their movement and operations respectively.
Fish market
Mr Ibrahim said it was his vision to develop the market to become the major fish market in the region and the entire country.
He said he had secured funding to complete the project in two months, saying, "By two months, the contractor is expected to complete the project, including the provision of electricity and other facilities", he said.
"This is not a political talk. As we have started we are not going to stop until we complete the entire project," Mr Ibrahim said.
Premix fuel
For his part, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Bui Dam Fishermen Association, Moses Adzani Ekekevor, said lack of premix fuel was one of the major challenges facing the Fisherfolk in the area.
"Premix fuel is not available to us to go fishing. We all know that premix fuel is purposely meant for fishermen to power our boats,” Mr Ekekevor said.
He claimed that some individuals, including those who were not fisherfolk, had hijacked the premix fuel making it difficult for them to access it, and appealed to the government to rectify the situation.
He commended the MP for taking a bold decision to construct the market, explaining that the market when completed would boost trading activities and speed up development in the area.
Mr Ekekevor again called on the government to beef up security in the area to protect lives and property.
He said on several occasions some gunmen stormed the area to shoot indiscriminately, putting their lives at risk.
Appeal
Another trader, Nafisah Abubakari, appealed to the MP to also consider establishing a school and hospital at the market area to enable them to educate their children and access health care.
She thanked the MP for his decision to provide a befitting market and explained that through trading, she had been able to take care of the needs of this family, including supporting her children's education in tertiary institutions.
