On Thursday night, a critical encounter with an Asantehemaa emissary persuaded business owners in Adum to temporarily reopen their shops.
Prior to the meeting, the chairman of the Ashanti Regional Security Council will meet again (REGSEC).
Since Monday, October 10, members of the Ashanti Business Owners Association in the Kumasi Central Business District have been on strike.
In a meeting with the Executive Secretary of the Ashanti Business Owners Association Charles Kusi Appiah-Kubi, he said "we held a crunch meeting with an emissary from Asantehemaa and we accorded our mother the respect to open our shops".
Another member of the group also told reporter Issah Zakaria, "Yesterday, we visited the Regional Coordinating Council to have an engagement with the regional minister but unfortunately our meeting has to be rescheduled today at 10am. We also met with a delegation from the Asantehemaa’s palace and upon the plea from the delegation from the royal palace, we decided to open our shops today."
He did, however, add that if the Association's meeting with the regional minister is unsuccessful, they would restart their strike action until their demands are satisfied by the government and pertinent parties.
The Ashanti Business Owners Association, whose members deal in fast-moving consumer goods, has been on strike for four days over what it claims are the "high and unrealistic" economic tax system, high borrowing costs, low gross margins, high inflation rates, and currency increases that have hampered their businesses.