Statement on the Fire Outbreak at the Kumasi Central Market by Hon Isaac Osei, MP -Subin
Source: parliament_of_ghana
Date: 2026

STATEMENT ON THE FIRE OUTBREAK AT THE KUMASI CENTRAL MARKET (By Hon. Isaac Osei, MP — Subin) Madam Speaker, | thank you for the singular opportunity to make this statement on the inferno which engulfed part of the Kumasi Central Market last Thursday. The Kumasi Central Market is located within the Subin Constituency which | am proud to represent in this august house. Secondly as the ranking member on the Trade Industry and Tourism Committee of this House, any major incident which precludes traders from carrying on with their normal business is a matter of concern. Madam Speaker, the Kumasi Central Market was built in 1936 and it was said at that time that it rivatied Onitsha and Ibadan markets for the title of ‘the largest market in West Africa’. Over the years the market has extended beyond its original boundaries and across the railway line into the Manhyia Constituency. The reputation and integrity of the Kumasi market operators was such that it attracted the Fulanis of Northern Nigeria and people from as far away as Gao in Mali. Today the Kumasi Central Market is a ‘massive shopping maze’ and a meeting point for traders and farmers f rom all carners of our country and beyond who bring their wares to trade. For any visitor to Kumasi, a trip to the Central Market is mandatory for there, one could appreciate the sounds and sme lls of Ghana and the organised chaos which underpins the myriad of activities which ebbs and flows continuously. The Kumasi Central Market has a life all of its own and thus when a sect ion cannot work, it affects the vibrancy and dynamism of the entire market. We are told that about 400 stalls and shops were totally consumed by the fire and | am sure that members of the House will join me in sympathising with our brothers and sisters whe have been adversely affected by the conflagration of last Thursday. Madam Speaker, we should be thankful to God that no lives were lost even if livelihoods have been dislocated. It is also sad that while others were in distress, some people took advantage to loot their properties. Fortunately it was reported that nine (9) people had been apprehended and were to be charged and processed for court. This may be an instructive lesson for those who flock to disaster and accident spots to help themselves to unsecured goods. Madam Speaker, | visited the scene of the unfortunate incident last Monday along with several Honourable Members and even though dozers were clearing the rubble, the evidential signs were all too clear that this was nothing but a disaster- a disaster which requires immediate attention and a thoughtful response from government and more especially the metropolitan authorities in Kumasi. The market is a place where every ethnic group in this country works freely as stall holders, shop keepers, suppliers, wholesalers, transporters, itinerant traders, head porters, cleaners, market inspectors, subretailers or small scale manufacturers.' In the market, every shade of opinion along the entire Ghanaian political spectrum can be found. Furthermore the large majority of those who operate in the Central market are not resident in the Subin Constituency but come from all over the Kumasi metropolis and beyond, some from Anyinam while others came from Kintampo. Far too often in Ghana we draw politics into everything we do or say. In this particular instance | will urge members of this House to have a national outlook in discussing the conseguences and challenges of the Kumasi tragedy as this may have implications for national policy and legal frameworks. Madam Speaker, tragic as the events of Thursday are, | see opportunities - Opportunities to completely redevelop the entire Kumasi Central Market as a large market fit for the 21% Century and .in doing so provide and implement a Master Plan to manage traffic and environmental concerns. Madam Speaker, the visiting Parliamentarians went to the Site in the company of the newly installed Metropolitan Chief Executive and the Regional Minister and this | believe emphasized to the hundreds of onlookers at the disaster Site that their MPs were working hand in hand with the Executive to resolve the problems arising out of the disaster. In the redevelopment of the Kumasi Market, a multisectoral approach is advocated. | have no doubt that urban planners and architects will be at the centre of this but Madam Speaker, | have already mentioned that the Kumasi Central Market has a life of its own. You can almost feel and touch it. A new market should not be conceived simply in terms of structures (2 or 3 Storey Structures perhaps) the planning tools must capture the essence and dynamic flows of the market, and its socio-cultural context. Trade is after all a dynamic activity. Thus the juxtaposition of dynamic aspects with the static structures of the new Kumasi Central Market is critical. With this approach, the access roads which will enable easier movement of goods and people should be provided throughout the new market. The market to be developed should make e adequate provision for nurseries for the infant children of traders, clinics, police posts, a fire station, dedicated FM station, internet cafes and public toilets at vantage points, open spaces and bus stations and bicycle parks around the perimeter. The market should be disability friendly. The redevelopment of the Kumasi Central Market should also make us all think about what to do with our cities and how to plan new settlements which will certainly develop. We should not wait and allow shanty towns to mushroom when we can plan and take pre-emptive action. In 1960, when Queen Elizabezh Il of Great Britain visited Kumasi in the company of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, she called it ‘The Garden City of West Africa’ because of its tree lined avenues in most parts of the city. Perhaps, the whole concept of The Garden City and its principles as espoused by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the 1890s ought to inform our Urban Planning. In this area of spatial development, there are better minds like our distinguished Minority Leader who know a lot more. The requirements for open spaces, public parks and backyard and front gardens for residential areas must be reflected in our urban planning. The Kumasi Central Market disaster must also awaken the interest of local authorities in enacting appropriate bye-laws regarding space management, environment and sanitation processes. The enforcement of bye-laws have to be strengthened to prevent people building and trading on waterways, public access routes, on hydrants and in open spaces. Much of the destruction at the Kumasi Central Market occurred in the immediate vicinity of the railway line when in fact at least 50ft on either side of the tracks should have been left bare. If the Eastern line should be rehabilitated today, people can actually touch trains from their shop fronts. The rofe of the Ghana Railway Corporation in leasing areas contiguous to the tracks in many parts of the country may be a revenue generating strategy but may in the long run prove to be unwise. Today in Kumasi as in other parts of the country, railway tracks have become market sites and it is said that revenues so generated are used mainly to finance recurrent expenses of the GRC and not for development or rehabilitation. Madam Speaker, many members would recall that a similar fate was suffered by leather dealers, shoe makers and pepper sellers at the same market on 8™ March 2007. The Committee set up by the Ashanti Regional Minister at the time Hon. Owusu Ansah established that none of the traders had insurance cover. Perhaps we in this House can consider legislation which will make it mandatory for those who ply their trade in public facilities to subscribe to ihsurance against theft, fire, unnatural causes, goods in transit, e.t.c. Madam Speaker permit me to commend the Kumasi Metropolitan authorities and the Regional Minster for taking action in the immediate aftermath of the fire outbreak. We look forward to studying The Report of the Committee which was given 14 days to submit. I also wish to commend Otumfuo Osei Tutu !I, Asantehene for not only visiting the Site in empathy with the affected people but also for his wise counsel on the need for all residents to respect and obey the laws of our country and the bye-laws of the metropolis and especially his admonition of the Ghana Railway Corporation. For the affected people, KMA should ensure their relocation to other sateliite markets throughout the metropolis as soon as possible. These markets will certainly have to be expanded to accommodate mare people as the whole area from Kejetia to Aboabo Station along the railway tracks may have to be the 1% phase of the Kumasi Central Market redevelopment. Finally, | wish to call upon this House to join me in sympathising with the affected Ghanaians and call for redevelopment and modernisation of the Kumasi Central Market and other markets in the major cities and towns of our country. | thank you once again, Madam Speaker for this opportunity.