By Lawrence Odoom
Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called for a meticulous, root-cause appraisal of the recent inferno that ravaged Accra Central Market, insisting that the country must dissect what failed in order to preclude a recurrence.
She delivered the admonition on Friday, June 5, during an on-site inspection of the charred commercial hub in the heart of the capital, where the blaze left scores of traders counting devastating losses.
Accompanying the Vice President were Greater Accra Regional Minister Linda Ocloo, Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak, Inspector General of Police Christian Tetteh Yohuno, the Accra Mayor, and a retinue of senior officials.
Surveying the gutted facility, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang voiced grave concern over its dilapidated state and urged authorities to prioritize a comprehensive technical audit before any reconstruction or emergency intervention is undertaken.
“What is the state of this building? For how long has it been in this near-disaster condition? We need to examine all of these issues so we don’t repeat the situation,” she said.
The Vice President stressed that while urgency is warranted in responding to the disaster, prudence must precede action. She argued that sound evaluation is indispensable to charting a resilient redevelopment blueprint and fortifying safety protocols.
She further interrogated the facility’s original architectural intent and operational stewardship, demanding clarity on whether the structure was ever fit for purpose and how it had been managed over the decades.
“We need to find out exactly what went wrong. How many people was this building meant to accommodate, and what actually happened? That is the only way we avoid repeating the same situation,” she noted.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also lauded the gallantry of emergency responders, commending their swift deployment and tenacity in containing the inferno before it metastasized further.
She conceded that ambitious proposals including the prospect of a modern high-rise reconstruction are on the table, but cautioned that such decisions must be anchored in rigorous engineering and safety assessments rather than dictated by expediency.