Accra, Aug. 13, GNA - The Minister of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and President's Special Initiative, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, on Wednesday tasked market associations to make markets clean to attract more customers.

"As we remove the waste that has piled up, open access roads and light up the market places to enhance security, we shall be promoting the safety and dignity of persons who ply their trade at these market places," he said.

Papa Owusu-Ankomah who gave the advice when he handed over a GH¢17,000 5.5-ton haulage truck to the Nima Butchers Cooperative Group in Accra also urged them to transform and modernize their businesses through credit facilities offered to them. The truck would be paid for in instalments over a period of 20 months.

The vehicle, which was obtained through the Prudential Bank under the Rural Micro and Small Enterprises Cooperative Scheme, would transport livestock to and from the Accra Abattoir. It would ensure that meat products are distributed effectively and cheaply to all points of sale.

The presentation formed part of the Domestic Trade and Industrial Service Improvement Projects (DOTIP) by the Ministry launched recently to help Market Based Operators (MBOs) such the Nima Butchers Cooperative.

The Minster said aside the improvement in environmental conditions, market operators required support and credit facilities to secure appropriate tools and equipment in order to become cost effective in their operations, improve the quality of the product and increase volumes of trade.

He said the Ministry intended to work in close collaboration with assemblies to enhance the efficiency of the operation of tradesmen and traders countrywide through training programmes and rehabilitation of their premises.

According to him, the DOTIPs were being extended so that other markets including "Kokompe" garages and "magazines" would also benefit. "Before the end of the year, countrywide, we intend to support 50 market-based organizations with credit facilities so that they would acquire their own haulage vehicles.

"We also expect to cover 30 markets and 10 garages in all the regions before the end of this year."

This, he said, would affect the lives of over 10,000 traders and artisans and countless consumers in terms of access to products and services in a more healthy and congenial environment.

Papa Owusu-Ankomah urged the Nima Butchers Cooperative Group to pay their debt promptly to the bank so that the credit facility would be extended to other groups.

Mr Seth Ekow Appiah, Chairman, Nima Butchers Cooperative, who received the vehicle, said the cooperative had been spending a lot of money to transport livestock to and from the abattoir for the past three years. He noted that lack of vehicles to transport livestock to the Accra Abattoir had contributed to slaughtering and burning of hides in unauthorized places.

Mr Appiah said the vehicle had brought relief to the cooperative and appealed to the Ministry to support them with funds to purchase more livestock from Yeji, Akatsi and Burkina Faso, among other places.