Business owners and dealers in the Nkwanta Municipality have voiced concern about diminishing business activity as a result of the curfew enforced in the region, which has resulted in lower patronage of goods and services.
This comes after the Adele, Challa, and Akyode tribes clashed over the performance of religious procedures relating to the Akyodes’ 2023 annual yam celebration.
The tragedy caused several fatalities, injuries, and property damage, leading many locals to abandon the region.
As a result, Ambrose Dery, Minister of the Interior, put a curfew on the Nkwanta township, banning mobility between 5 p.m. and 6 a.m. Mr. Dery further stated that anyone who violates the instruction will face legal consequences.
However, according to Citi News, several shop owners and dealers have reported that clients are unwilling to venture out owing to the residual fear of experiencing the curfew.
These vendors request that the Interior Minister reconsider the curfew’s effects on vendors and maybe modify its conditions to better suit their companies, even in light of the municipality’s continuous unrest.
In an interview with Citi News, a trader regretted
“Today is Monday here in Nkwanta and a market day here, but I can tell you that we are counting low sales. I am a trader myself and it’s been very bad. We are just waiting and praying that the curfew is lifted so that many more people can come to town, and then we can resume our duties and normal days.”“It has been very, very bad because even if we come to town, open our shops, we have to close by 4 pm, and you know by 4 pm, people should be buying or those who did not have money to buy in the morning can start buying. In Nkwanta, most people come from the villages to buy and purchase our goods but because of the curfew and the problems that we encountered a few months ago, people are refusing to come to town so it is a headache, we are not finding it easy at all.”“The economic situation in Nkwanta is so bad that we plead with the Interior Minister, Mr. Ambrose Derry, to do something about the curfew; either reviewing it or doing something for us.”
