Kantamanto Market, Ghana’s renowned reuse hub, has reopened with the launch of the unified KOBA after the January 2025 fire, supported by The Or Foundation and the government.
The Kantamanto Obroniwawu Businesses Association (KOBA) officially launched in Kantamanto Market, marking a powerful step toward rebuilding and unifying one of the world’s largest reuse and upcycling hubs. The reopening follows the devastating fire that tore through the market last January, forcing the community to rebuild from ashes. KOBA now represents all thirteen distinct sections of the market — encompassing secondhand clothing and footwear vendors, upcyclers, tailors, hairdressers, and auxiliary businesses — cementing a transformed identity rooted in shared stewardship instead of disparate trade roles.
The relaunch comes with the completion of the first wave of safety and infrastructure improvements: the market has been fully re‑electrified, fire extinguishers installed, and a new, trained security force deployed. These advancements emerged from a partnership between KOBA, The Or Foundation, and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, with funding led by The Or Foundation. During the ceremony, The Or Foundation formalized a grant providing GH₵825,000 (approximately US$75,000) to KOBA to establish its capacity as a cohesive association, adding to more than US$3 million already channelled this year into direct relief, healthcare support, infrastructure, and training in response to the fire.
High-level government officials lent their support, with the Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration at the Presidency reaffirming commitment to trader recovery and announcing that the National Investment Bank, alongside other state banks, would extend financial aid to affected vendors. The Mayor of Accra, Hon. Michael Kwakpo Allotey, and municipal officials also attended, underscoring the city’s dedication to sanitation, security, and orderly revenue compliance that supports waste management, presently consuming an estimated 70 percent of market revenue.
Adutwum Atta Manu, KOBA’s general secretary, framed the tragedy as a catalyst for unity, stating, “The blessing out of the fire is that now we are together. Previously, traders were divided, but today we have a common front.” He also highlighted key safety reforms, such as prohibiting overnight stays, training fire wardens, and distributing a thousand fire extinguishers, to guard against future catastrophe.
Contextualizing the scale of the tragedy: reports from early January 2025 revealed that nearly 8,900 stalls had burned, affecting more than 10,000 people across ten sections and destroying roughly 33,000 square meters—about 60 percent of the market’s footprint. Those impacted included not only secondhand vendors, but also tailors, upcyclers, food sellers, kayayei (female head porters), security personnel, and market leaders.
The Or Foundation’s rapid response efforts have been monumental. It has already disbursed over GH₵1 million for rebuilding, provided direct aid to thousands, organized medical support, and mobilized community health resources. The foundation estimates that US$5 million will be necessary to fully restore the market, and it has called on fashion brands — including Vestiaire Collective, Puma, Debrand, eBay, and several Belgian firms — to contribute.
This global focus underscores Kantamanto’s significance: it imports approximately 15 million used garments weekly from the global north and recirculates some 25 million items each month via resale, repair, reuse, and upcycling, sustaining over thirty thousand livelihoods in the process.
Related on Ethos:
