Traders, transport operators and other business operators at Anloga Junction in the Oforikrom Municipality in the Ashanti Region have staged a demonstration against a directive by the municipal authorities ordering them to vacate the area.
The aggrieved occupiers, many of whom are women, tomato importers, petty traders, plywood vendors and commercial drivers, said the directive threatened their livelihoods and those of their families who depended on their businesses at the site.
They have, therefore, appealed to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the central government to intervene to prevent their eviction.
The protesters, who were clad in red and black attire and wore red armbands, carried placards with inscriptions such as: “Public land is not for private sale: We stand against the illegal sale of the Interchange land,” “Where should we go? Our families depend on this land for their daily bread,” and “Protect our jobs: Stop the eviction now.”
Some of the placards also directly criticised the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Oforikrom, Hon. Anwel Sadat, with one reading: “Sadat is not a good MCE.”
Livelihoods at stake
The protesters said they had invested significant amounts of money into their businesses at the location and, in some cases, contracted loans to sustain their operations.
They argued that an abrupt eviction would leave them without a source of income and make it difficult for them to repay their debts.
One of the traders, who was dressed in red, appealed to the Asantehene and the government to intervene.
“We are pleading with Otumfuo and the government to intervene on our behalf. We have borrowed to do our business, so where will we go if you evict us?” she asked.
Another trader said the occupiers would not voluntarily leave the site unless work on the proposed road interchange actually commenced.
“Some people want us to go hungry. We will not vacate here today or tomorrow unless they start the interchange,” the trader stated.
Interchange land
The protesters acknowledged that the area had been demarcated for the construction of a proposed road interchange.
However, they questioned why they were being asked to leave the site when construction of the interchange had not yet started.
They claimed that the Assembly intended to make the state-owned land available to a private developer to construct commercial stores.
According to them, they would have no objection to vacating the area if the government was ready to commence the public infrastructure project for which the land had been reserved.
A commercial driver said the occupants were prepared to cooperate with the government if the land was required for the interchange.
“This is government land. If the government comes to construct the interchange, we have no problem. However, we will not sit for an individual to take government land for personal interest,” he said.
“We will not sit for government land to be sold to an individual. Where will we get our daily bread?” he asked.
Deadline
The demonstrators said an earlier attempt to remove them from the site had failed, but that they had subsequently been given Friday, September 4, 2026, as the deadline to vacate the area.
They expressed concern about the short notice, saying they had not been provided with an alternative location where they could continue their businesses.
The occupiers further alleged that the directive was being driven by private interests rather than a formal government decision.
“It was an individual who gave us the directive to vacate; it wasn’t the government,” another aggrieved driver alleged.
He said the group had already channelled its concerns to the Ashanti Regional Minister but believed that some individuals were still pushing for their eviction.
Appeal to authorities
The protesters consequently called on the government, the Ashanti Regional Minister and the Asantehene to intervene urgently to resolve the dispute.
They said while they were ready to cooperate with any legitimate government development project, they would resist what they perceived as an attempt to use public land for private commercial purposes.
They also urged the authorities to engage them and provide a suitable alternative if their relocation became necessary.
Traders’ chairman
The Chairman of the aggrieved traders and transport operators, Obed Kwame Kataka, also expressed concern about the planned eviction.
Mr Kataka reiterated the concerns of the affected traders and drivers, stressing that the site had become an important source of livelihood for a large number of people.
He appealed to the relevant authorities to engage the affected persons and find an amicable solution before the September 4 deadline.
The protesters maintained that their demonstration was not against development, but rather aimed at protecting their livelihoods and ensuring that public land reserved for a major infrastructure project was not diverted for private commercial interests.
They said they remained hopeful that the intervention of the Asantehene and the government would help bring clarity to the ownership and intended use of the land and prevent what they described as an imminent threat to their livelihoods.
