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Tension at Akwatialine …as wood sellers resist eviction
Portions of the land has been fenced
Tension is mounting at Akwatialine Wood Market in the Ashanti Region as the Wood Sellers Association has threatened to resist every attempt to move them from the place by the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly.
The association has accused the assembly of making plans to evict its members from the parcel of land being used as the wood market.
About two weeks ago, one person was hospitalised in a clash between the police and the traders, while dozens were arrested.
The Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly stormed the area with the Anti-Robbery Unit of the Ghana Police Service to evict them to make way for the construction of stores by a private developer.
A visit to the area by The Spectator during the week saw 300 metres stretch of land fenced with aluminium sheets by the private developer.
According to the Secretary of the Association, Mohammed Umar, it had taken them by surprise to see the place fenced while traders still had their goods within.
He explained that following the clash between the traders and police, the Assembly called for a dialogue to resolve the matter.
He said that while the issue was being discussed, “we came to work today only to see the place fenced, but we will not give in to that”.
“The Assembly is asking us to vacate a place we have lived for over 50 years to pave way for the construction of new stores, and we are demanding that they give us a place to relocate our businesses.
”The assembly is yet to show us where to go, and all of a sudden they brought heavily armed policemen to beat and evict us forcefully… and now the place is fenced.
“Until the Assembly relocates us, we are not moving an inch,” he said, and called on authorities in the region to, as a matter of urgency, resolve the issue and find a place to relocate them.
Efforts to contact the Assembly for comments proved futile.
From Kingsley E.Hope, Kumasi
Ghana Tourism Authority is leading Ghana’s participation at ITB Berlin, which opened in Berlin with a vibrant national pavilion highlighting Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, tourism destinations and investment opportunities.
March 5 has been designated as Ghana Day, a special platform to promote Ghana’s languages, cuisine, Kente, festivals and business prospects to the global tourism community. The stand has already drawn strong interest with traditional arts and crafts displays, immersive multimedia presentations and popular Ghanaian snacks.
Seven private-sector players are exhibiting alongside government officials as part of efforts to deepen trade partnerships, expand market access, and attract investment across the hospitality, heritage tourism, ecotourism, and creative arts sectors.
Ahead of the official opening, the Ghana delegation also engaged young Ghanaian investors in Germany in collaboration with V Afrika-Verein and the Ghana Embassy, strengthening diaspora investment linkages and highlighting opportunities within the tourism value chain.
Ghana’s coordinated presence at ITB Berlin 2026 reinforces its strategy to position the country as the Gateway to Africa and a competitive destination for leisure travel and global investment.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
