Govt asked to complete Bolga craft village project which started in 2003

Some craft dealers in the Bolgatanga Municipality in the Upper East Region have expressed worry over the uncompleted craft village which is supposed to accommodate all the craft dealers in the municipality. About 80% of these dealers are at the center of the town where they display their craft with no proper structures while the remaining occupying the limited space at the craft village. According to the dealers, the delay in completing the project has resulted in low patronage for dealers. Construction of the ultra modern craft village started in 2003 by the Municipal Assembly with funding from the Ministry of Trade and Industry to house the dealers and serve as a tourist site in order to generate funds for development. Since 2003, only a portion of the craft village which constitutes just the first phase of the village has been completed, and that cannot accommodate all the craft dealers. The craft village when completed is expected to have facilities like a restaurant, barbering saloon, internet café, rest rooms, a pharmacy, car parks, shopping mall among other amenities to make the village accommodating enough for tourists. Some dealers who spoke to 3news said sales are low and only those at the town center make good sales due to the uncompleted village project. Another problem is that most tourists are not aware of the existence of the craft village hence, making it difficulty to attract patronage for their artifacts. A craft dealer, Ibrahim Yahaya, who walked the news team through the origins and significance of the antiquities,  appealed to the government to as matter of urgency complete the remaining phases of the craft village to bring other dealers under one roof to boost sales. Some of the artifacts are brought from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Egypt and other African countries. Their prices range from GH¢ 500 to 6,000 for the ancient Antiquities and GH¢ 10 to 50 for the contemporary Antiquities. Antiquities are ancient remains that have been preserved over the years for their historical significant. A representative of the smock dealers at the main Bolgatanga market, Baba Afour who spoke to 3News.com said they have lodged complaints at the Municipal Assembly to enable them relocate to the village or better still construct their own shades at places earmarked for the phase II of  the craft village with their resources, but all efforts proved futile. Meanwhile, information gathered from the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly indicates that, many proposals were presented to funding organizations to assist with the construction of the phase II of the project but they have all been unsuccessful. By Tanko Mohammed Rabiu|3news|Ghana]]>