Inspector-General of the Ghana Police Service, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has met traders in the central business district in Accra following the closure of shops by members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA). According to asaaseeradio.com, Dr. Dampare met the traders during a tour of areas affected by the closure of the shop to ensure that GUTA members and their shops are protected. The report indicated that the IGP meet some of the striking traders at Opera Square and later moved to the vehicle spare parts hub of Accra in Abossey Okai to assess the situation. Patrons who thronged the Makola, Okaishie, and Abossey Okai markets on October 19, 2022, had to go back home as shops remained closed. The traders in these markets have closed down their shops in protest of the increasing economic hardships in the country. According to them, the exchange rate and the depreciation of the cedi coupled with high inflation are taking a toll on their businesses as well as their livelihoods. A trader who deals in footwear bemoaned the alarming rate of the increase in prices of goods and services. A visit by GhanaWeb to the affected areas disclosed that nearly 90 percent of the shops were closed. Some of the buyers who interacted with GhanaWeb expressed their disappointment after they met empty shops, shared in the sentiments of these traders while noting that "indeed, the current economic crisis is bad." "Even though I've been disappointed because I could not buy what I came here to buy, I'm in full support of the protest. Prices are increasing too much and it is almost unbearable," a buyer told GhanaWeb. You can also watch this episode of People & Places on GhanaWeb TV: IB/DO