Building and Road Consultant, Ing. Abdulai Mahama, has issued a stark assessment of Ghana’s market infrastructure, asserting that the nation currently possesses no properly standardized markets with the sole exception of the Kejetia Market in Kumasi.
His observations follow the devastating fire behind the VVIP Station at Kwame Nkrumah Circle on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, which razed more than 50 mobile phone shops. The incident has once again highlighted the “triple dependency” on outdated systems and the urgent need for a “reset” in national safety protocols.
Ing. Mahama linked the country’s frequent market fires to systemic failures in planning and the absence of vital safety infrastructure.
“I can say on authority that with the exception of maybe the Kejetia Market, which even has a few challenges, we don’t have any standardised market in Ghana. There is no market anywhere in the country that has met all the requirements that make it a standard market to operate,” he stated.
A critical lapse identified by Ing. Mahama is the widespread lack of fire hydrants—a fundamental necessity for any commercial hub. This mirrors broader concerns about the need to build “systems that work” and move away from “patchwork success stories.”
“One of the major things I listened to the fire service officer mention was the absence of fire hydrants within the location. That is one of the major requirements when you are going to even construct a market,” he added.
As the government continues to push its agenda of cutting waste and ensuring accountability, experts suggest that standardizing market infrastructure must become a priority to protect the livelihoods of the next generation.
