He said the stores would be distributed only after the new market had been inaugurated by the President on Monday, November 28, and assured the market women that the claims were false.

Rumours are rife in the Metropolis that the stores have been distributed to people mostly outside the region and that most traders of both the Kotokuraba and Kotoka markets whose stores and stalls were demolished to pave the way for the new market may not get allocations.

Mr Ricketts-Hagan, who is also the Member of Parliament for Cape Coast South, dispelled the claims when he inaugurated a number of projects in the Cape Coast Metropolis on Thursday and Friday.

They include the Amanful Catholic Boys Junior High School (JHS) which was razed by fire but was awarded on contract in 2015 through the instrumentality of the Metro Chief Executive for Cape Coast, Mrs Priscilla Arhin Korankye, who sourced for GetFund to reconstruct it.

The others are the Cape Coast Church of Christ JHS which was financed with the Assembly’s Internally Generated Fund (IGF), the Oguaa ICT Centre at Chapel Hill and the Oguaa Community Library which was started by Ms Christine Churcher, a former Member of Parliament of the area, and completed by Mr Ricketts Hagan.

At separate ceremonies to inaugurate the projects, Mr Ricketts-Hagan said the residual funds for the Kotokuraba Market was being used to further expand the market to accommodate more traders and assured the people of more developmental projects.

At Amanful Catholic Boys, Mr Ricketts-Hagan urged the students to take good care of the modern school complex which had a headmaster’s office, a staff common room and toilet facilities and urged the students to study hard to excel.

The Headmaster, Mr Jesus Julius Ellis, expressed gratitude to the Government and pledged to ensure the maintenance of the school to prolong its lifespan.   At the Cape Coast Church of Christ JHS, the Head, Madam Nora Nyarkoh, thanked the MCE and appealed for electricity to be extended to the school to facilitate ICT training.

At the ICT Centre the Minister said it would serve all inhabitants of Cape Coast adding that a bus would convey students to and from the centre and urged them to avail themselves to study the subject.

Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, the Oguaamanhen, who presided, commended the Government for the numerous projects it had undertaken in the Oguaa Metropolis and asked the people to support it to deliver more.