Livestock traders operating along the Kanda Highway in Accra have pushed back against growing calls for their removal, accusing authorities of failing to provide a proper livestock market while attempting to crack down on their seasonal businesses.
The traders say the roadside market near the National Mosque has become their only option due to the absence of designated livestock trading spaces within communities such as Mamobi, especially during the Eid season when demand for rams and cattle surges.
Their resistance follows mounting pressure from Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and city authorities to dismantle or relocate the temporary market over concerns about sanitation, congestion and urban planning.
Speaking to Channel One News, trader Abdul Jalal Moomin argued that government cannot demand traders vacate the area without first providing an alternative facility.
“We don’t have anywhere like how Ashaiman has. Here in Mamobi, we don’t have that, so we are also trying to at least send something home,” he said.
Another trader, Murtala Beere, insisted the traders were not permanent occupants of the area and only operate during the Eid festivities to earn income for their families.
“We only do this for just two weeks in the year,” he stated while appealing for tolerance from authorities.
The standoff comes after the Public Accounts Committee directed the Greater Accra Regional Minister to intervene urgently, warning that the expanding livestock market is undermining sanitation standards, worsening traffic congestion and disrupting the capital’s urban development agenda.
Vice Chairman of the Committee, Davis Opoku Ansah, described the situation as unacceptable and called for immediate action to restore order in the area.
At the same time, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has ordered all temporary livestock markets operating without permits to shut down and remove their structures after the Eid celebrations.
However, the traders argue that the state’s failure to invest in proper livestock trading infrastructure is forcing many small-scale dealers onto streets and open spaces to survive.
The dispute has now reignited broader questions over urban planning, informal trading and whether authorities are doing enough to create structured commercial spaces for seasonal businesses in Accra.
