In the early hours of January 2, 2025, a catastrophic fire tore through the Kantamanto Market in Accra, leaving traders devastated as they assessed their losses.
The once-thriving market, renowned for its vibrant atmosphere and variety of goods, was consumed by flames in a matter of hours. The scene was one of heartbreak as traders, many of whom had invested their life savings, sifted through the charred remains of their stalls, desperately trying to salvage anything of value.
Ama Mensah, a clothing vendor who had been part of the market for over a decade, could only cry as she spoke of her loss. “I have lost everything. All my goods, my savings, everything is gone. I don’t know how I will recover from this,” she said through tears.
Isabella Apoe, a cold store operator, was seen trying to gather the remnants of her burnt shop. She, too, expressed the magnitude of her loss, saying she had lost millions to the fire.
The blaze began in the early hours of Thursday morning and quickly spread throughout the market, fueled by the flammable materials traders used in their stalls. Despite the swift response from the fire service, the intensity of the fire was too much to control, and much of the market was destroyed before the flames were finally extinguished.
Local authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, but for the traders, the immediate focus is on rebuilding their businesses and their lives. Many are calling for government assistance, while others are leaning on their communities for support.
Joshua Tetteh, a trader who took out a loan to run his business, shared his heartache. “I have lost everything. Attempts to rescue some of my goods proved futile. I didn’t get one persewa from here. We will rise from these ashes. It’s not easy, my wife also sells ladies’ clothing, and she has lost everything,” he said.
Samuel Ahenkorah, another trader with two affected shops, recounted the significant financial hit he had endured. Despite the tragedy, many traders, like Tetteh, vow that the spirit of Kantamanto will not be destroyed by this disaster.
“Kantamanto is more than just a market; it is our home, and we will not let this fire destroy our spirit,” said Tetteh, expressing a resilience that many of the affected traders share.
“I have lost so much goods, why are people so wicked? I deal in jeans for both adults and children. I have lost everything out of my two shops. I have lost so much money. One bail of goods costs GHC5,500, it’s not easy at all, this is so devastating.”
“I had a phone call from my sister informing me about the fire. We couldn’t retrieve anything, we have lost all the utensils and equipment we use for our cooking business,” Fati Alhassan a food vendor said.
Hawa Yakubu, another food vendor, also said, “The shito we sell have all burnt to ashes, including the foodstuffs we bought and prepared stew.”
In an interview with Channel One News’ Fifi Annan, Adutwum Atta Manu, Market Manager of Kantamanto Market confirmed the firefighters had been able to contain the fire.
“Around 1:am I had a phone call that there was a fire in Kantamanto, we rushed to the place and when we came, the fire had started. So what we could was that we decided to quench the fire ourselves, but because of the intensity, we couldn’t fight it. We called the firefighters they also came with their tenders and they did what they could to contain the fire. But it didn’t affect the other side of the market they salvaged the situation from there.”
