Years after the demolition of Accra’s old Agbogbloshie onion and scrapyard market, the site’s redevelopment remains in limbo.
The demolition, which took place on July 1, 2021, was part of the “Let’s Make Accra Work” decongestion initiative spearheaded by the former Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey. The government aimed to transform the infamous e-waste site into a more functional and less polluted area.
The old Agbogbloshie market had long been labelled with names such as “Africa’s e-waste nightmare,” “a digital dumping ground,” and “one of the ten most polluted places in the world.” However, four years after the bulldozers and military officers cleared the area, the envisioned transformation has yet to materialize.
Despite being relocated to Adjen Kotoku and Dominase, traders and scrap dealers express ongoing frustrations. The scrap dealers, in particular, continue to assert that they were not adequately informed about the demolition exercise, claiming they were the most affected victims of the government’s actions.
Many of the traders have since returned to the old site, and the area remains largely unchanged, raising questions about the effectiveness of the decongestion exercise and the government’s commitment to redevelopment. The situation underscores lingering challenges in urban planning and policy execution in Ghana’s capital.
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