A sense of uncertainty looms over the hundreds of artisans and traders operating at Odifuor Asare Park in Amakom, Kumasi, as they fear the potential loss of their livelihood following a high court ruling on Friday, June 16.
For nearly four decades, these artisans have utilized the 3.4-acre land for their businesses.
The area is home to various skilled workers, including mechanics and vendors selling food items.
However, a longstanding legal dispute has cast doubt on their ownership rights, with a private individual claiming the land as their own.
Consequently, over 300 artisans have been engaged in a court battle against the private individual, seeking to assert their rights to the land.
Disappointment filled the air as the affected individuals gathered at the law court complex in Kumasi to hear the high court ruling, which ultimately declared the land to belong to the private individual.
“We are more than three hundred people operating in the area. All these persons have apprentices. I have worked at the place for the past 38 years. I was the first to start operating there. The KMA allowed us to engage in our activities there. Even if they want to sell the land, we can buy it,” Akwasi Addai, one of the mechanics stated in an interview with Citi News.
In light of this verdict, the aggrieved individuals are now reaching out to the Asantehene and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, appealing for their intervention to prevent the potential loss of their source of livelihood.
“We are appealing to the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and President Akufo-Addo to intervene. We have no one to come to our aid,” one of the affected persons, Georgina Mensah appealed.
Emmanuel Addai, the lawyer representing the affected persons, has expressed the intention to appeal the court’s decision on behalf of his clients.
He urged the artisans to remain calm during this process, assuring them that legal action will be taken.
Efforts to contact the private individual involved in the case have thus far been unsuccessful.
