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| Abandoned market in Ghana |
It is not
difficult to run into abandoned structures along the Ghanaian’s roads.
On Tuesdays and Fridays, the market at Nyanfeku-Ekroful enjoys a
brisk trade. Just a stone’s throw down the road, however, a more modern market
stands padlocked, overgrown with weeds and frequented only by local children.
A plaque on the building’s front declares that the European Union
(EU) constructed the market in 2005. It has never been popular with local
traders, and after talking to the villagers, it is easy to understand why.
The site, they believe, is set too far back from the main road.
Although the market is only a few hundred metres away, the distance is
significant as passers-by are unable to see it. The market visible from the road,
meanwhile, thrives partly by attracting motorists and pedestrians from the
highway.
There is, however, an insurmountable problem than this. Locals
revealed that the site is prone to flooding during the rainy season, rendering
the site useless as a business venue for several months of the year.
These two significant oversights indicate a failure of planning and
communications by the building’s commissioner, the EU. The willingness to fund
such projects is admirable, and it is clear to see that the implementation was
not at fault – the market is eminently fit for purpose – but evidently some
fundamental errors were made in the planning phase.
Errors, moreover, that could easily have been solved with the
acquisition of some local knowledge. Consultations with local authorities or
residents could easily have been conducted, after which a more appropriate site
could have been found.
Instead, the overgrown market leaves the impression that the EU was
prepared to throw money at a worthwhile project, but not to match it with the
necessary amount of thought.
There is no possibility, even, that the EU intended the market to be
a temporary or trial arrangement – it was intended to be a permanent feature.
According to the Planning Officer of Abura Asebu Kwamankese District
Assembly, Gabriel Akora Nfodzo, noted that markets need to be developed, not
bought. “Before you decide to put up a market, you have to find out the history
of original market and you have to come there to see it and to think about of
how you can develope it” continued, “so when you go around, you realised that
most of the abandoned markets are not part of history of the originals ones, so
naturally when you put it up nobody are going to use it”.
“The other issue is that you had to do consultation. Often we not
have talk, we just go in to put up the market without know what their needs
are. If you don’t go there and ask them what they need, they will never use it”
he said. This is the reason why markets are built but never used. They need to
involve them.
Some markets were built next to rivers so people have to cross it.
We know that women mostly patronised the markets, so they are not supposed to
cross it.
These markets can be converted into police stations or post offices
to make a full use of those structures, it could be a good solution.
At the moment there is an upgrading of the Apam market after ten
years of completion, the upgrading includes a warehouse, a Daycare centre and car park. Also a
visit to Kasoa market reveals that the traders are unwilling to patronise the
facility rather prefer to sell along the major road. At Twifo Praso the market
constructed for the community has been converted into a police station after
several years of refusal of traders using the facility citing traditional believes
that bands women from crossing the river on Tuesdays that links the market to
their community.
For example, in Italy, Comunal Markets were built in central places.
Every district has it own market placed strategically under security controls
to permit people to be safe from streets traffic. The Italian law obliged
shops’ owner to maintain a strictly good healthy condition of the market.
For the outside part it has safety covers that protect sellers and
clients from the rainy days. Every market has beside its own parking to
facilitate the traffic and to allow the different shops to have visibility from
the road.
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| Italian Comunal market |
The picture shows the market located in Piazza Wagner, in Milan
city.
Established in 1929 as town market with the structures in iron, in
2004 some construction were carried out to suite the modern era. The flowers
and the vegetables of the external benches prepare the visitor to the wealth
and variety of the real shops to the inside that offer them the typologies of
alimentary specialty: from those bovine, ovine, equine, pig and of first
quality and often already ready to put in pot, to the fresh fishes. For the
cheeses the choice is very vast, that is prepared artisanly or Italian DOP or
French (checked origins). For the fruit and the vegetable the choice is vast
even more, from the boutiques that they allow to get away any lovely in all the
seasons of the year to the benches where it is found of everything to
competitive prices. And still bakeries, gastronomy, foods bio and for animals.
And now in the market there is also an oven that produces bread, sweets and
pizza breads.
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