Business operators plead with TFC Management to reconsider decision to evict them

By
Eunice Hilda Ampomah/Evelyn Anane, GNA

Accra, Oct. 10, GNA – Businesses operating at
the Trade Fair Centre (TFC), have pleaded with the management of the centre to
reconsider the decision to evict them from the place.

The over 250 entities established there have
been given up to the coming December, to pack out to allow for the
re-development of the centre.

Mr. Peter Awoonor Williams, Chairman of Trade
Fair City Tenants Association, said this could lead to people losing their jobs
and worsen the unemployment situation.

Addressing a press conference in Accra, he
said each of the businesses was employing not less than five employees and they
had dependants.

He added that they had also been building new
office structures, some of these were nearing completion and the huge
investment could go to the waste should the management stick to its decision to
kick them out.

They were not opposed to the idea of
re-developing the centre, but had problems with the approach being adopted.

Mr. Williams said it was reasonable that they
were adequately engaged by the management to find a more acceptable way of
doing things.

It would be most unfair for anybody to treat
businesses that had been operating legally at the centre for years as squatters. 

The re-development of the TFC could take
between two to three years.

Mr. Williams also complained about the
increase of their rent from GH¢1,200.00 a quarter to GH¢25,000.00 and said
there could not be any justification for that.  

The matter was reported to the Rent Control
Department and a meeting arranged between the management and the tenants but
the former for unexplained reasons refused to attend.

The tenants had petitioned the Trade and
Industry Ministry and were yet to receive a response.

GNA

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