Mr Mahama Ayariga, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs on Sunday, August 30, 2026, visited and inspected the abandoned Kejetia Phase II and Krofrom Market projects in Kumasi.
The visit, which brought together senior stakeholders, was intended to help the Minister gets a firsthand assessment of the current conditions of the two facilities and to identify practical steps that could help restart and ultimately complete the long-delayed construction works.
The market projects in Kumasi, which are both critical to commercial activities in the city and the Ashanti region as whole, have experienced prolonged delays in execution, creating severe congestion in the city and driving traders and hawkers onto streets and pavements in the business district.
Residents have over the years raised grave concern over the delays and appealed for their immediate completion over the years to help bring sanity in the second largest city of Ghana.
The Minister’s tour focused on understanding the extent of work completed, the level of deterioration, and the specific obstacles responsible for the delay, including project management issues, funding constraints, and logistical or contractual challenges that may have affected progress over the years.
Mr Ayariga emphasiSed the need for coordinated action between the central government, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), and other relevant stakeholders to help get the work back on track.
As part of this, he underscored the importance of engaging contractors, reviewing project timelines, and ensuring that resources were mobilised in a manner that would enable the resumption of work without further unnecessary setbacks.
He also highlighted that completed market facilities would improve sanitation, support organized trade, and create a safer environment for both vendors and customers, thereby strengthening local economic activity.
Mr Ayariga was accompanied by Mr Richard Kwasi Ofori Boadi Agyemang, Kumasi Mayor, Otumfuo Azaguanine, Oheneba Owusu Afriyie IV, and a section of department heads at KMA.
During the tour, discussions also touched on how stakeholders could manage future operations of the markets, including maintenance planning, stakeholder coordination, and measures to ensure that traders benefit directly from the completed facilities.
The Minister reiterated that the inspection formed part of ongoing efforts to address challenges surrounding the projects and to ensure that these important market facilities were delivered for the benefit of traders and residents of Kumasi.
GNA
