EASTERN REGION BEADS MAKERS WANT PERMANENT MARKET (PAGE 43)

THE Lack of a permanent market for 300 beads sellers in the Eastern Region is seriously hampering efforts to increase the high patronage of beads, considered as one of the great tourism attractions in the area.
Currently, majority of the beads traders, mostly aged men and women, travel from Somanya and Krobo-Odumase to Koforidua every Thursday to carry out their business activities at Jackson Park, which has been temporarily allocated to them.
To revive the industry and boost the region’s tourism potential, the Beads Sellers Association in the Eastern Region has therefore made a passionate appeal to the government to help them to obtain a permanent market place.
An executive member of the association, Mr Mohammed Braimah, who made the appeal, said “our present location has provided us limited opportunity to trade only on Thursdays and business is disrupted during the rain season and in the event of a national activity here”.
The association made the appeal when the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, and the New Juaben Municipal Co-ordinating Director, Mr Kwesi Ofei, visited the traders at their present location at the Jackson Park to interact with them to know at first hand problems facing them.
Mr Braimah explained that trade in beads, a treasured ancient traditional commodity, had significantly become one of the greatest tourism attractions in the Eastern Region.
In spite of the economic potential of the products, he added, the lack of a permanent market had severely hindered the merchandising of the items as many of the traders, mostly the aged, often carried their wares from Somanya and Krobo Odumase to Koforidua every Thursday.
“The exciting renaissance of beads craftsmanship taking place today have made them to become a source of livelihood for hundreds of people—the aged, women and men, children and adults in the Eastern Region”, Mr Braimah added.
He, therefore, appealed to Mr Ampofo, the new regional minister, to help find a permanent market for them to enhance the patronage of the products.
For his part, Mr Ampofo expressed his preparedness to provide a permanent market for the beads sellers, since the commodity was one of the potential tourist attractions in the region.
To this end, he assured the traders to collaborate with the New Juaben Municipal Assembly, the Ghana Tourism Board and the Koforidua Office of the National Cultural Centre (CNC) to find a lasting solution to problems facing them and other craftsmen in the area.
He also called on stakeholders to at least help organise a special beads fair in Koforidua, where traders would have the opportunity to display their wares and also be educated on how best to add value to their products.
The Regional Minister, in the company of some of the executives of the association, later called on the executives of the Koforidua Office of the CNC, where he held discussion with them on how best to revive the centre to serve as a permanent place for the traders.