The inferno, which started in the early hours of Wednesday, engulfed the busy market that has served as a lifeline for over 30,000 traders and countless customers within the Central Business District.
Kantamanto Market, Ghana’s largest fairly used clothes market, in the heart of Accra, has been razed by fire, reducing the bustling hub to ashes and displacing thousands of traders.
The inferno, which started in the early hours of Wednesday, engulfed the busy market that has served as a lifeline for over 30,000 traders and countless customers within the Central Business District.
AFP reports that the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) deployed 13 fire trucks to battle a massive blaze that tore through Accra’s Kantamanto Market.
By Thursday morning, the once-bustling rows of market stalls were reduced to smoldering ruins.
Goods worth millions of cedis were destroyed in the inferno, according to the GNFS.
“This is devastating,” said GNFS spokesperson Alex King Nartey. “While we’ve not recorded severe casualties, the economic loss is enormous.”
Nartey explained that preliminary investigations suggest faulty electrical connections may have sparked the fire, though arson has not been ruled out.
He also noted that efforts to fully extinguish the flames could continue into Friday.
For the hundreds of traders who depended on the market for their livelihoods, the destruction is catastrophic.
Many of them specialized in the resale of used clothing, and now face an uncertain future.
Fred Asiedu, a 45-year-old trader, described the fire as life-altering. “Everything I own was here—my wares, my savings, my future. Now, it’s all gone,” he said.
“How do I start over? The government must step in. Without help, life will be unbearable.”
Similarly, Adjoa Amu, a 39-year-old mother of three, said the fire had dealt a crushing blow to her family. “I’ve been selling here for 12 years. This market feeds my children and pays their school fees. Now, I have nothing but ashes,” she lamented, urging the government to provide support.
The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has launched an investigation into the cause of the fire, working alongside other agencies.
“The scale of destruction is heart-wrenching, but we are committed to identifying the root cause and providing immediate relief to affected traders,” said NADMO official Richard Amo Yartey.
David Kwadwo Amoateng, president of the Traders Advocacy Group Ghana (TAGG), called on the government to act quickly, stressing the market’s economic importance.
“The traders here need emergency funding to get back on their feet. Without immediate intervention, thousands of livelihoods are at risk,” he said.
Kantamanto Market, home to over 30,000 traders, has long been a vital hub in Accra’s Central Business District.
For many, its loss is not just financial but deeply personal, leaving an entire community grappling with the challenge of rebuilding from ashes.
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