Landlords Clash Over Plan to Replace Tendamba Primary with 24-Hour Market

Debate over the location of proposed 24-hour markets in parts of the Upper West Region has intensified, with communities, traditional leaders, and government officials offering differing views on where the projects should be sited.

The controversy has been particularly pronounced in Wa, where plans to replace the historic Tendamba Primary School with a modern 24-hour market have sparked widespread public reaction.

The opposition to the proposal was first publicly expressed by a group of landlords from Sokpayiri, who held a press conference to resist plans to demolish the more than 70-year-old school to pave way for the market project. The group argued that the school remains an important educational institution and a historic landmark within the municipality.

Following that development, landlords from four traditional gates—Puohuyiri, Sokpayiri, Suuriyiri, and Kpaguri also addressed the media. At their press conference, they rebutted claims made in the earlier briefing that landlords had not been consulted prior to the decision to convert the school site into a market facility.

According to the four gates, consultations were held with some stakeholders, and therefore the assertion that landlords were sidelined in the decision-making process was inaccurate. They called for calm while discussions on the project continue.

The debate has also drawn the attention of prominent personalities connected to the school. A Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, who is a past student of Tendamba Primary School, publicly opposed the proposal to replace the long-standing institution with a market. He maintained that the school holds significant historical and educational value for the community.

Government officials have also weighed in on the matter. During a visit to the Upper West Region, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, held discussions with the overlord of the Waala Traditional Council. At the engagement, the minister reportedly stressed that the school should not be replaced with a market.