INTRODUCTION

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA):

• was created as the pivot of administrative and developmental decision-making in the District and, therefore, the basic unit of government administration;
• was assigned with deliberative, legislative, as well as executive functions under law;
• was established as a monolithic structure to which is assigned the responsibility of the totality of the government to bring about integration of political, administrative and development support;
• was constituted as the Planning Authority for the district
• is responsible for the construction, operation and management of all markets within Accra and its Metropolis.
• is responsible for market security and safety.

The AMA organised a workshop Food Supply and Distribution to Accra and its Metropolis, sponsored by the FAO. This workshop, held in Accra from 13 to 17 April 1998, gathered representatives of all interest groups (food producers, traders and transporters as well as urban consumers) who met for the first time to discuss issues of common interest.

The workshop set out to:

• review the major constraints affecting food supply and distribution systems (FSDS) in Metropolitan Accra;
• examine the possible solutions and the required interventions in the short and medium terms.

Five themes were assigned for discussion in work groups:

• Improving the efficiency and dynamism of marketing channels, storage and processing;
• Adapting urban market infrastructure and facilities to meet the food needs of the year 2020;
• Improving market planning, management, rules and regulations;
• Improving market information and promoting grading and standardisation;
• Role, constraints and performance of women food traders and youth employment in food marketing

Work-group discussions were directed towards the identification of specific problems, the expected consequences, the required interventions and the institutional responsibilities for undertaking corrective actions.

This document contains the proceedings of that workshop. Section A contains a brief discussion of issues such as urban expansion, the location of markets within Metropolitan Accra, the structure of its market channels, the organisation of food trade and its constraints, etc. Section B presents a summary of the workshop conclusions and recommendations. These can be implemented at very little cost and require a minimal amount of pre-planning. The recommendations of each work-group are detailed in Section C.