Kumasi development plans at risk as sanitation budget grows
Kumasi Mayor, Richard Ofori Agyemang-Boadi has warned that excessive spending on sanitation is choking critical development in the city.
Speaking at an accountability forum at the Prempeh Assembly Hall on Thursday (30 May), he revealed that over 45 million cedis had been spent on goods and services in 2025 — with up to 90 percent going into sanitation.
He says while sanitation is necessary for a healthy city, it is draining funds needed for infrastructure. According to the mayor, projects that could create jobs — especially for young people — are now at risk.
He cautioned that key developments, including a new Kumasi Central Police Station and an ongoing paediatric centre, may not be realised if the trend continues.
“When you spend so much on sanitation you may get value for money by having a healthier city. But it affects infrastructure. When you are providing infrastructure that is where we are able to create jobs and the kinds of employment that we need for our young men and women.
“But when we spend money at our final disposal site it means that we are only throwing it into waste, and I don’t think that is good for Kumasi. We have deployed a lot more of thousand litter bins across the central business district; let us be disciplined enough. Let’s make sure we dump our waste at appropriate areas to make collection easier”, he said.
The Social Accountability Forum is held in line with Section 42 of the Local Governance Act, Act 936, and the Public Financial Management Act. The programme brought together key stakeholders within the assembly to review governance and development issues.
