The deadline set by the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly (EKMA) for market women and transport operators at the Jubilee Park Market to relocate to the Apremdo Market has been fully complied with. As of Monday, October 14, not a single trader remained at the Jubilee Park.
However, in their wake, the traders left behind heaps of refuse, waste, and visible damage to the once-beautiful recreational facility.
The extent of destruction to the park’s grounds and fence walls means the Assembly will now have to spend taxpayers’ money to rehabilitate the area.
The Jubilee Park, originally built as part of Ghana’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations under former President John Agyekum Kufuor, was designed as a recreational space for public events and leisure.
That purpose changed about three years ago when the then Western Regional Minister, Mr. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, approved its temporary use as a market to accommodate traders displaced by the reconstruction of the Takoradi Central Market.
Some traders were relocated to the New Market, while others were settled at the Jubilee Park.
Soon after, transport operators also moved in, setting up makeshift terminals and turning the park into a bustling commercial hub.
However, amid growing concerns over the park’s deterioration, EKMA resolved to relocate the traders and transport operators to the newly built Apremdo Market.
The decision initially met stiff resistance from the traders and drivers, who feared losing customers at the new site.
The Assembly eventually gave a final deadline for the relocation and provided logistical support, including transport, to assist traders in moving their goods to the Apremdo Market.
Now empty but in disrepair and ruins, the once vibrant Jubilee Park awaits rehabilitation to restore it to its original recreational purpose.
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