H.E Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Vice President of the Republic has urged market women to take ownership of cleanliness in their trading spaces, stressing that sanitation in markets is central to healthy living and national well-being.

Addressing the 65th End-of-Year Gathering and General Meeting of the Greater Accra Market Association (GAMA) in Accra, the Vice President commended the association for maintaining a clean and orderly environment at the event, describing it as a reflection of the discipline and responsibility among market women.

She said cleanliness should not be occasional but a daily habit across all markets, noting that littering and poor waste disposal contributed to choked gutters and flooding.

Linking sanitation to the event’s theme of healthy living, she said economic empowerment must go hand in hand with wellbeing, stressing that markets were not only centres of trade but also spaces that directly affected community health.

She said no woman should be prevented from earning a living because of rain or unsafe working conditions and noted that the government was accelerating market revitalisation and infrastructure development to improve dignity and safety in trading spaces.

On economic inclusion, she reaffirmed the government’s commitment to establishing the Women’s Development Bank, explaining that extensive stakeholder engagement was ongoing to ensure the institution was properly structured to deliver sustainable impact.

She said the aim was to build a bank that genuinely served women who had long been excluded from mainstream financial systems, adding that the process would be progressive to guarantee long-term success.

Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey, Mayor of Accra, expressed appreciation to market women for their continued cooperation and appealed for collective support in the ongoing market decongestion exercise aimed at improving safety and order in the market.

He said the decongestion exercise was not intended to prevent anyone from trading, acknowledging that trading was the livelihood of many families and deserved respect.

The Mayor said the exercise, which began last week, was designed to clear roads and ensure that market spaces were safe, clean, and orderly for all users.

He stressed the importance of unity, stating that the Assembly and traders were interdependent partners in the development of the city and called for continued cooperation to keep Accra clean, successful, and prosperous.

The anniversary celebration brought together key government officials, including the Deputy Local Government Minister, Hon. Rita Naa Odoley Sowah the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Linda Obenewaa Ocloo, as well as market queens, traders, and traditional leaders.