Bawa-Rock Limited has provided a relief package valued at GH¢1.5 million to more than 300 victims of the devastating fire that destroyed the historic Obuasi Town Hall at the Obuasi Central Market.
The fire, which broke out at about 11 p.m. on Saturday, caused extensive damage to businesses operating within and around the Town Hall, particularly those belonging to tailors, seamstresses and their apprentices.
The over 100-year-old Town Hall is one of the major trading and tailoring centres in the Obuasi Central Business District. The facility housed more than 300 master tailors and apprentices, with an estimated 300 to 400 sewing and knitting machines destroyed in the fire. The cause of the fire had not been established at the time of the reports.
Support for Tailors and Seamstresses
As part of the relief package, 65 master tailors and seamstresses affected by the fire each received an industrial sewing machine together with GH¢5,000 in cash. Two knitting machines and an embroidery machine were also donated.
The support is intended to help the affected artisans replace some of the equipment they lost and restart their businesses after the disaster.
A further 110 apprentices who were affected received handheld sewing machines and GH¢500 each to help them continue their training and livelihoods.
The intervention therefore goes beyond immediate cash assistance, providing productive equipment that can help beneficiaries return to work and rebuild their businesses.
Support for Affected Shops and Containers
Bawa-Rock also extended assistance to other businesses affected by the fire.
Thirty-four affected shop owners each received GH¢20,000, while 11 owners of business containers around the Town Hall received GH¢5,000 each.
According to the company, the various forms of assistance bring the total value of the relief intervention to GH¢1.5 million.
Company Says Community Support Is a Responsibility
Speaking to the media, Mr. Eric Addae Boateng, Business Development and Sustainability Lead at Bawa-Rock Limited, said the company considers supporting communities in times of difficulty as part of its responsibility.
He explained that the company was moved to intervene because of the extent of the losses suffered by traders and artisans following the fire.
The support comes at a critical time for the victims, many of whom depend on tailoring, dressmaking and other businesses at the Town Hall for their livelihoods.
MCE Thanks Bawa-Rock and Appeals for More Support
The Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi, Faustilove Appiah Kannin, thanked Bawa-Rock Limited for coming to the aid of the fire victims.
The MCE also appealed to other stakeholders, organisations and individuals to support the affected traders and artisans as they work to rebuild their livelihoods.
The Obuasi Municipal Assembly has also warned traders and members of the public to stay away from the damaged Town Hall because of safety concerns. The Assembly indicated that the remains of the structure would be pulled down to prevent further danger and build new stores for the traders.
A Major Blow to Obuasi’s Informal Businesses
The Town Hall fire has been described as a major setback for hundreds of people who depended on the facility for their livelihoods.
The fire destroyed scores of shops and items stored in them and later spread to about 30 containers. The Obuasi Municipal NADMO Director, Perpetual Koomson, also warned the public to stay away from the damaged structure because of safety concerns.
The intervention by Bawa-Rock is therefore significant because it provides both financial assistance and tools that can enable affected people to resume their economic activities.
Bawa-Rock Limited is a wholly Ghanaian-owned gold trading and mining company based in Obuasi and owned by Alhaji Rasheed Bawa Namoro.
The company has previously undertaken a number of community interventions in education, healthcare and social welfare. In October 2025, Bawa-Rock donated GH¢250,000 towards education and healthcare initiatives in Obuasi, including support for free surgical operations and the refurbishment of a school computer laboratory.
Early this year, the company also donated five phototherapy machines valued at more than GH¢200,000 to health facilities in Obuasi to improve neonatal care, as well as supporting vulnerable patients at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
The latest GH¢1.5 million intervention adds another major community support programme to the company’s growing list of social investments in Obuasi, particularly at a time when hundreds of traders and artisans are trying to recover from the devastating Town Hall fire.