Accra, June 18, GNA - The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), on Thursday affirmed government's commitment to create a functioning domestic market for the development and distribution of products for local consumption and export.

Ms Hannah S. Tetteh, the sector Minister, told the Ghana News Agency that the Domestic Trade and Distribution Division of the Ministry is facilitating the construction of model market infrastructure in all the Metropolitan, Municipal and District (MMD) capitals. She said the markets were aimed at preventing the proliferation of hawkers and nomadic traders and to do away with ramshackle structures. The Minister said facilities in the model markets, which include cold stores, fire protection equipment, stalls, drainage, places of convenience, day care centres, play grounds and running water, would help to reduce the menace of fires and other hazards such facilities are often exposed to.

Ms Tetteh said each of the markets would be financed, constructed and operationalised on a cost recovery basis, through a commercial or build-operate-transfer basis.

She said the ministry had designed three different models of the commercial markets, to suit the MMDs and distract traders and consumers from doing business on walk-ways and pavements.

She expressed concern about the state of most markets in the country, saying "most open-air markets have no proper infrastructure and overcrowded, which impedes normal traffic of goods and persons". Ms Tetteh said the model market projects was in line with the broad objective of the ministry to provide assistance for the private sector as well as commercial and industrial activities to facilitate the development of a modern, robust and global competitive industrial field.