ACCRA, April 20, 2025 — The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) is urging the authorities at Kantamanto Market to undertake a full-scale reconstruction of the facility using modern fire safety standards to help prevent future fire disasters.
Speaking on Channel One’s Newsroom on Saturday, April 19, Greater Accra Regional Commander ACFO II Rashid Nisawu warned that despite past rebuilding efforts, the market remains highly vulnerable due to the continued use of wooden materials such as wawa boards and plywood.
He recommended the use of fire-resistant materials and the installation of essential fire detection systems—including smoke detectors, heat detectors, and flame detectors—to help with early warning and rapid response.
“They have reconstructed the market and I am on record saying that until we dedicate these markets to modern standards—where we get smoke detectors, heat detectors, flame detectors, using fire-resistant materials to construct—there will always be challenges,” ACFO II Nisawu stated.
He also highlighted the need to enforce strict operational hours, proposing that markets open at 6:00 AM and close by 6:00 PM to prevent traders from sleeping in the market, which he described as a major fire risk.
“We must understand that this is a market. We open at 6 and close at 6. People should not use markets as dwelling places,” he added.
His comments come in the wake of recurring fire incidents at Kantamanto Market, one of Ghana’s busiest trading hubs. Each incident has resulted in significant financial losses for traders and raised questions about the adequacy of safety infrastructure.
The GNFS has repeatedly cautioned against the use of combustible materials in market construction and has called for collaboration with municipal authorities and market leaders to enforce safety regulations.
Commander Nisawu’s appeal underscores a growing national conversation about the need to modernise Ghana’s traditional markets, particularly those in high-density urban centres, to protect lives and livelihoods.
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