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Some residents of Tema and Ashaiman have expressed dissatisfaction with the astronomical increase in the price of building materials. The considerably increment in the prices of these materials, according to residents, has compelled them to suspend their building projects. In an interview with CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE, some of them attributed the increase in the prices of the materials to the hike in transportation fares. Alfred Tetteh Numo Jnr., a wood dealer at Timber market near Ashaiman told CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE that the prices of wood at the market had shot up. According to him, the cheapest wood on the market, ceiling buttons, which used to sell at GH60p in December last year, now sells at GH�1.50p. Alfred pointed out that the �2X4� which was sold at GH�3.50 pesewas previously, now goes for GH�7.50 pesewas while the �2X2,� which used to sell at GH�2.00, is being sold on the market at GH�4.00 �What we go through due to the increase in the prices of the wood in this market is very disturbing. Look the �2X6� type of wood, which we sold last year at GH�7.00, is now sold GH�12.00. Plywood, which is mostly patronized by our customers and sold at GH�8. 70 pesewas now goes for GH�13.50 pesewas. I can tell you that the trend has affected our daily sales. I have not sold anything yet and it is almost past mid-day,� the worried Alfred told this paper. At a building material store at Community 1 in Tema, a shop assistant told the paper that a bag of cement, which sold between GH�12.00 and GH�13, now goes for GH�15.00. With regard to roofing sheets, the shop assistant pointed out that the mini size single iron roofing sheet, which previously went for GH�8 is now being sold at GH�9.50 pesewas while the big size was selling at GH�25.00 instead of the previous GH�18.00. The price of nails has been increased from GH�13.00 to GH�17. The paper gathered that prices of paints, water closets, washing sinks and PVC pipes, louver blades, floor and wall tiles have all been increased significantly. Many property owners have abandoned their projects due to the development in the area. Quite a number of the residents disagreed with the government on the assertion that the country�s economy was expanding. They noted that the government had failed to implement measures aimed at creating a conducive environment for Ghanaians to grow their businesses.