Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has successfully mediated a resolution to the leadership crisis at the Dome Market in the Greater Accra Region, prompting celebrations among hundreds of market women.
The prolonged dispute within the Dome Market Traders Association had led to a division in the market’s leadership, with two factions emerging — one led by Madam Evelyn Abena Sebie and the other by Madam Felicia Karley Amui — each claiming to be the legitimate market queen.
During a durbar organised to welcome Prof. Opoku-Agyemang to the Dome Market in the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency on Monday, 19th August, as part of her tour of markets in the Greater Accra region, the tension between the two factions became evident.
Both market queens introduced themselves as the rightful leaders, trading accusations and creating a charged atmosphere.
In a decisive move, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang intervened, urging the two leaders to put their differences aside for the betterment of the market.
Standing between them on stage, she encouraged them to reconcile, leading to an emotional moment where the two market queens, for the first time in years, shook hands and embraced each other.
This gesture was met with thunderous jubilation from the traders and others present at the market.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang expressed her gratitude to the market queens for their willingness to resolve their conflict and assured them that she would return to address any remaining issues. “We should not be fighting in these difficult times. Let us rather unite against hardship and underdevelopment,” she advised the traders.
She also expressed concern over the deplorable state of the market, promising that the NDC, if elected, would prioritise the market’s redevelopment to create a more conducive environment for trading.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang highlighted the NDC’s broader plans to support traders and small and medium-scale enterprises, including the proposed establishment of a Women’s Development Bank to provide vital microfinance support to women’s businesses.
Addressing the economic challenges faced by Ghanaians, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang sympathised with the traders, attributing their hardships to the mismanagement of the economy by the NPP government.
She assured them that the NDC would bring relief if voted into power.
“We have carried both water and alcohol, so we now know the difference,” she remarked, drawing a comparison between the NDC and NPP governments’ performance, and urging the traders to vote massively for the NDC to ensure continued development and progress.
Following her visit to the Dome Market, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang proceeded to the Kwabenya lorry station, where she addressed a large gathering of commercial drivers, commuters, traders, and residents, reiterating her promise of better living conditions under the next NDC administration.
