The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene has outlined the government’s plans to complete all three phases of the Kumasi Central Market Redevelopment Project, which was started under the previous Mahama administration.
This is geared towards giving the market its overdue completion, to secure its position in the economic fortunes of the region and its people, and the country as a whole.
Phase one of the Kejetia market, which was started by the previous NDC government and gave not only Ghana but West Africa, its largest market, with 8,420 stores, saw no significant improvement under the NPP government of the last eight years according to the new minister.
“The well-being and safety of traders and the smooth operation of Kejetia Market remain a top priority. We will continue to work towards solutions that benefit all stakeholders”
Dr Frank Amoakohene, the Ashanti Regional Minister
Speaking of his mission when he visited the market, Dr. Frank Amoakohene expressed that his objective for phase two was to get “first-hand impression of the status of construction to properly brief H.E. John Dramani Mahama”.
This move, he explained, would help him secure the logistical requirements needed for completion of the project.
Though phase one of the project is in use, he stressed the need to resolve “significant management challenges” facing it for optimization and longevity.
He cited “encroachment” by taxi and “trotro” drivers who were establishing a station at the entrance of the facility and the fire-destroyed eastern wing of phase one of the market as two main issues needing immediate attention.
He shared plans of involving the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and the regional police command in clearing the encroachers, whose presence was obstructing the effective use of the only “meaningful exit” and would pose a threat should there be an emergency.
“They’re gonna work on that starting tomorrow” he provided a timeline and mentioned his prior engagement with contractors to resolve the second issue too; rehabilitating the “huge area” that was damaged by fire in March of 2023.
“They need two weeks to be able to fix that space and in that two week period, we will need to cut off that area. So we’ve invited the management of KMA and also the leaders, the traders, their leadership so that we can have that engagement, and then we can agree on the time and then the dates that we would give the contractor that two weeks that they need in order to be able to fix it”
Dr Frank Amoakohene, the Ashanti Regional Minister
The Regional Minister addressed the concerns of some traders who feared their old spots in the eastern wing won’t be given back to them after the restoration.
He said that records of stall ownerships kept by the management of the Kejetia market would be used to re-allocate spots to their rightful traders so they wouldn’t get displaced or have to pay for them again.
“The management has records of every trader who was initially allocated that space, so if that is their fear, I want to assure them that once the place is fixed, we’ll make sure that whoever rightfully deserves to have a place there will have their own. It wouldn’t be resold to them as per the fears I picked from the field”
Dr Frank Amoakohene, the Ashanti Regional Minister
Issues of sanitation and eventual flooding when it rains are to be resolved too, according to the Regional Minister.
“Sanitation is a huge issue. It’s a mess. I’m sure you followed the trip to the washrooms and also to the drains, and they are all blocked and I get the impression that anytime there’s raining or the rain falls, there is flooding all over the place”
Dr Frank Amoakohene, the Ashanti Regional Minister
Dr Frank Amoakohene announced a scheduled emergency meeting with the management and the Chief Director of the market at the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), to address the sanitation concerns, persistent fire risks and “key management challenges”.
“So we’ve engaged the management. They are to come together with the chief director. We’ll meet them on Thursday. They will be able to holistically look at the management of the place and how we’ll be able to put things under proper perspective and control, pending the completion of phase two. After phase two, then we look at the development of phase three”
Dr Frank Amoakohene, the Ashanti Regional Minister
He further hinted at plans to move on to phase three of the Kejetia market project once the issues facing the use of phase 1 were addressed and the construction of phase two was completed.
“You are aware that Kejetia has a phase three that is yet to to roll out but once were done with the phase two, we look at the processes leading to the phase three”
Dr Frank Amoakohene, the Ashanti Regional Minister
The NDC government is poised to finish what it started in 2015, to furnish the Ashanti region with a world class market and is clearly taking steps to realize it as soon as possible.
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