The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has offered 300 market stores, free of charge, to a number of traders whose wares and stores were destroyed in a recent demolition exercise at the Adehyeman Gardens in Kumasi.
The new stores are located at the former Rotary Club at Mbrom in Kumasi.
The market women, who numbered about 400, were highly appreciative of the gesture and so went to Manhyia to express their gratitude to the Asantehene for his intervention and benevolence.
In February this year, some persons, under the protection of the police, demolished the stalls of about 1,000 petty traders, mostly women, operating at the Adehyeman Gardens.
The land served as a market for the affected traders some of whom sold clothes. However, following a legal proceeding in court, between the
Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and an alleged owner of that parcel of land, Nana Osei Tutu, who is the head of the Oyoko family the traders were.
At the moment, a contractor, Ellis Royal Company Ltd, has been engaged to construct stores on the same plot of land. On completion, the stalls will be rented out to the displaced traders and others who might be interested.
Addressing the market women at the Manhyia Palace, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, said as the overlord of Ashanti, he would not look on for conflicts to escalate in the region.
He assured the traders of his support and noted that the welfare of all residents in the region was his concern. He urged them to live in peace with one another as that was a sure recipe for their social and economic well-being.
The spokesperson for the traders, Madam Adwoa Brago, praised the Asantehene for his kind gesture. She said the move had relieved them of the pain and suffering they were going through following the demolition of their structures at the Adehyeman Gardens.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of Kumasi, Mr Sammy Gyamfi, also expressed appreciation to the Asantehene for his intervention which had brought relief to both the KMA and the Oyoko family.
He said the KMA would continue to put in place measures that would bring peace and development to the people of the metropolis and the nation as a whole.
The head of the Oyoko family, which was litigating with the KMA over the land, thanked the Otumfuo for his decision to intervene in the matter.
He said once the issue was resolved, it would in the long run bring about peace in the entire community and the nation as a whole.
After the courtesy call at the Manhyia Palace, the women marched through the principal streets of Kumasi to the offices of the KMA to thank the mayor for his role and support in the acquisition of the new site that had been given to them.
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