KMA to open Kejetia Redevelopment Project for business activities on  May 2

The official date for the opening of the Kejetia Redevelopment Project for business activities has been scheduled for May 2, 2019, and has been christened ‘Kumasi City Markets Limited’, according to the Local Government and Rural Minister, Hon. Hajia Alima Mahama.

The opening of the market will allow 8,400 market women at the Kumasi Central Market and the occupants of the old Kejetia shops who have been validated and verified the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and will also pave way for the demolition and construction of the Central Market for the second phase of the project.

The project which costs $298 million and started in July 2015 was to be completed in January 2018 but was delayed due court matters arising from litigation between private land developers and KMA over pulling down of structures around the project.

The official date was announcement on Saturday, March 2, 2019 by the minister when briefing the media after her and officials of KMA and the Brazilian construction firm, Contracta, toured the project.

The minister, her second tour of the project since it started, expressed her joy at the project and called on the traders to take proper care of it and warned that any trader who goes contrary to the regulations and rules of the market will be evicted.

“I am very expressed about the project, now the contractor has finished and handed over to the KMA. All that we are waiting for is the May 2 this year when it will be officially commissioned by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and His Exellency President Nana Akufo Addo,” she joyfully said.

“A lot has been spent on the project, we urged the users to take good care of it by abiding to the rules laid down in their agreements. Any trader who disobeys the rules will be thrown out,” the minister warned.

Inauguration of Kumasi City Markets limited board

Prior to the inspection of the project, a 8 member board was inaugurated to manage the affairs of it, which is by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Alima Mahama.

The membership of the board include the Chief Executive Officer of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Hon. Osei Assibey Antwi, as the chairperson, Chief of Amoamang Traditional Area, Nana Agyenim Boateng, as the vice chairperson, Edward Borteye from the Ministry of Finance and Inusah Shirasu, from the Local Government Ministry.

Others are the KMA Coordinating Director, Samuel Donkor, two women representatives from the Kejetia and Kumasi Central Market and one representative from the Transport Unions.

Hon. Aliu Mahama inaugurating the board entrusted them to ensure that proper maintenance and validation are done for the traders to move into the new market.

The chairperson of the board, Hon. Osei Assibey Antwi, on behalf of the board thanked the minister for the opportunity to run the fairs of the facility and promised to properly oversee the operations and maintenance as demanded of them.

Source: otecfmghana.com/Francis Appiah