Woodworkers and business operators in the Sokoban Wood Village enclave are calling for urgent measures to be put in place to address the deteriorating security situation in the area, which is severely affecting their operations.
They highlighted the issue of inadequate street lights, which has exacerbated the security issues in the area.
This, they lamented, has emboldened unscrupulous individuals to exploit the situation by engaging in robberies and theft.
For over a decade, the Sokoban Wood Village enclave has served as the most popular wood market in the Ashanti Region, with thousands of workers operating in the area.
Aside from the poor road conditions in the area, another major concern they want authorities to address urgently is security.
Some operators, in the area, in an interview with Citi News recounted a number of times they have been attacked.
“The security situation here is very poor, especially at night. It is very dangerous to operate within this area after 6 pm. Some unscrupulous persons have been attacking us so those of us here have been living in fear. Also as woodworkers, they have been stealing our wood products. This is really affecting our operations,” a woodworker, Kwesi Amedonu stated.
“We supply many wood products to various countries within the West African sub-region. Security however remains our major challenge. We want the government to support the Ghana police service to intensify security here to curb the menace,” Mensah Mawuli, spokesperson for artisans at the enclave also said.
The woodworkers are thus urging the relevant authorities to step up security measures in the area and take decisive action against these criminal activities since it is adversely impacting their livelihoods.
“We are having issues with security. Although we have our own private security here, they don’t have access to guns and so sometimes they face challenges. Some of the robberies are highly sophisticated, and they are unable to match them. Although we have reported to the Asokwa divisional police command, they’ve assured us of taking care of that situation. So we are only pleading with the government to assist us in that direction to make sure that the situation has improved in order for us to have our businesses running smoothly,” Abubakar Halifa, the coordinator for the Sokoban Wood Village Workers Association conveyed the concerns of the woodworkers.
Reacting to the concerns, the Mayor of Kumasi, Samuel Pyne, who says the security situation at the enclave had not been brought to his attention, assured of measures to help address the concerns.
Another concern the woodworkers are calling on authorities to as a matter of urgency help address the issue of misunderstandings between them and forestry monitoring officials.
The woodworkers have expressed concerns about overcrowding at their current location. They are requesting for the government to construct drains at their newly allocated site, which is located just behind their current one.
The move, they believe, would allow some of them to relocate to the new area, and it will also help prevent encroachment on the designated land.