MARKET WOMEN GO WILD • Halt opening of new market (The Mirror [lead] Saturday, March 8, 2008. Story on page 38)

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga
THE embers of a long standing dispute between the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly (BMA) and a group of market women over the distribution of stalls were reignited this week when the market women staged a massive demonstration to stop the opening of the market.
So intense was the protest that the assembly officials had no option that to suspend the ceremony indefinitely.
The blockade dashed the hopes of the assembly to successfully inaugurate the renovated Bolgatanga Central Market for business.
The reason for the demonstration? Some of the women who spoke to the Mirror said they only heard of the announcement on radio a day or two to the inauguration.
The women have had several issues to resolve with the assembly regarding the allocation of sheds and stalls in the rehabilitated market
The market women said they would only allow the assembly to carry out the commissioning after the assembly had made available, the complete list of beneficiaries of the stalls in the market.
They alleged that rather than allocating the sheds to the old occupants the assembly had given out sheds to people who originally were not doing business in the market.
It would be recalled that last year, the Association embarked on a similar protest against the commissioning of the market. Based on this the former Upper East Regional Minister Mr. Boniface Gambila, set up a committee to ensure a fair re-distribution stalls and stores.
According sources within the BMA, the committee had finished its work and all was set for the inauguration only for them to meet resistance from the market women.
Speaking to The Mirror the Public Relations of the BMA, Mr. Felix Ayaaba said the hierarchy of the assembly will meet the market women and debriefed them on the outcome of the committees report.