Bole in the Savannah region is set to get one of the largest of 261 modern 24-hour markets being built across every district in Ghana, President John Dramani Mahama has announced, with construction now underway following a sod-cutting ceremony on Friday.
The market, which will operate round the clock, is the model size, the biggest category in the national rollout.
President Mahama said every district in the country will receive one of these markets under the programme, but Bole’s version stands out in both scale and facilities.
The facility will include 71 lockable shops on the ground floor, 61 additional lockable shops on the upper floor, 132 open sheds, and an open pavement area available on a first-come-first-served basis.
It will also house 10 warehouses, a lorry terminal for commercial vehicles, a separate lorry park for large trucks, and a meat shop able to accommodate up to 30 butchers, complete with a cold store.
Beyond trading, the market will have a police post, a fire post with a hydrant, a clinic staffed by health professionals, a pharmacy, a women’s bank, a supermarket, two restaurants with VIP and regular sections, and a guest room with 12 beds.
A crèche and daycare centre will also be on site, along with toilet and shower facilities, a water system running 24 hours a day, and a refuse disposal system.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony, President Mahama said the location chosen for the market is among the best in Bole and predicted it would become one of the busiest markets in the country.
He acknowledged that some properties, including the local NDC office, were demolished to make way for the facility. “We have sacrificed for this market, and it is going to be a benefit to us, to our children and our great-grandchildren,” he noted.
The President said markets play a direct role in community prosperity by keeping money circulating locally, and that the facility would provide farmers in the area with a reliable outlet for their produce, including maize, yam, beans and other crops.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
