Some drivers operating under registered transport unions in Kumasi have called on the government to introduce price control measures for goods in the country.This follows the recent 8% adjustment in transport fares announced by the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council, which has once again sparked public debate about the rising cost of goods and services.According to the drivers, unlike transport fares, which are strictly regulated, traders have the freedom to determine their own prices without any form of regulation or oversight.They described traders as the real “Kalabule” people in the country – a term used in reference to exploitative profiteering.“When we adjust transport fares, these traders start fighting us, the drivers, but we don’t increase fares on our own. It is the GPRTU that negotiates with government on whether fares should be increased, maintained or reduced. But as for the traders, who controls their prices?” one driver questioned.The drivers argued that while transport operators are often blamed for increases in the prices of goods and services whenever fares are adjusted, traders arbitrarily inflate prices without any justification.They noted that even when fuel prices and fares are reduced, traders fail to reduce the prices of their goods, thereby worsening the plight of ordinary Ghanaians.According to the drivers, the lack of price regulation in the trading sector is a major driver of the high cost of living.They are therefore appealing to the government to establish a price control mechanism to regulate the prices of goods on the market to ensure fairness, protect consumers and bring relief to the ordinary Ghanaian.They further urged Ghanaians to stop blaming transport operators for the high cost of goods and services in the country, stressing that traders are largely responsible for the arbitrary price hikes.Meanwhile, some petty traders sided with the concerns raised by the drivers.According to some traders who spoke on condition of anonymity, while the drivers are not entirely wrong, they are also facing their own challenges, including high import duties, rent, and wholesale prices.“To be honest, what the drivers are saying is true. Some of us increase prices anyhow, but the system is also hard. When we go to buy from the wholesalers, the prices are already high, so we also have to add a little to get profit,” one petty trader at Kejetia Market said.Another trader added that price control would help bring sanity into the market and ensure uniform prices.“If government can control prices, it will help all of us. Because as it stands, everyone is selling at their own price, and that brings confusion and misunderstanding between us and our customers,” she stated.They warned that if nothing is done to check the unregulated pricing by traders, efforts to stabilise the economy would be undermined.