Resident calls for expansion of Zuarungu Market

24-07-2011
Timothy Ayamga, a native of Zuarungu, in the Upper East Region has made a passionate appeal to the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly to as a matter of immediacy focus its attention on the Zuarungu market to make it viable. The market, he lamented has not seen any improvement over the years though it is the oldest in the region and attributed it to number of factors. One of reasons, he stated is the fact that the market day coincides with that of the Bolga Market, which is by far bigger than the Zuarungu market despite its age. This arrangement, Mr. Ayamga said has rendered the Zuarungu market a transit market that feeds into the Bolga Market. He noted with concern that if nothing concrete is done to address the situation, the market would collapse because the phenomenon has existed over the years and it is gradually ‘killing’ the Zuarungu Market. According to him, a painstaking investigation done reveals that something could be done to revert to the old arrangement and called on the assembly to institute pragmatic measures to deal with the situation. He said as a means to develop the municipality as a whole and Zuarungu in particular, the government, through the municipal assembly should be interested in developing our markets to increase income generating capacities through market tolls. Mr. Ayamga expressed worry to the effect that no provision was made for the expansion of the Zuarungu market by way of adequate space to accommodate the expansion facilities in future and appealed to authorities concerned including chiefs to see to the expansion of the market so that poor market women would also benefit from it. He said as a first step towards attaining a district status, there is the need to expand the capacity of the Zuarungu market before all other things follow. He called on the chiefs and people of Zuarungu to give their needed support to ensuring the viability of the market. The support he indicated should include their readiness and desire to release land for the proper sitting of the market and other facilities that go with a modern market. He also cautioned against the current indiscriminate sale of land in the area for the sake of future developments.
GBC END IA/