Members of Kumasi Central Market NDC Association ,( group of traders belonging to the NDC) have called on the President of the republic to as a matter of urgency see to the completion of the phase II of the Kumasi -Kejetia project, which is the central market.
Speaking to the press today in Kumasi, Chairman of the Association ,Mr Kojo Ayiglo Solar told the press that , the motive of the conference is to let the media know about the abandoned Kumasi Central Market project.
“To refresh your minds on genesis of the Kumasi Central Market project phase 1 & 2, the project was initiated to transform as one of the largest trading hubs in West Africa into a modern, edifice marketplace…with the core expectation of boosting the local economy, create jobs, and improve the trading conditions for thousands of vendors and traders in the Ashanti Region.
This abandonment has not only left the market in disarray but has also severely affected the livelihoods of many traders who depend on the market for their survival forcing them to trade in the middle of the road of which their goods are wrongly confiscated by city guards.
The abandonment of the project has had far-reaching consequences on the people of Asanteman and beyond contributing to some critical economic effects on the people: disrupting trade activities, leading to decreased business operations, and loss of lives.
He said,the Kumasi Kejetia bus terminal was cut sod on 31st May 2015 with a completed project value of US$198 Million by the former president, John Dramani Mahama with the sole aim of providing a conducive marketplace for business transactions.
Unfortunately, the phase 2 project was abandoned by the NPP-led Nana Addo Bawumia administration after a sod-cutting ceremony organized in the glare of His Royal Highness, Otumfou Osei Tutu II on the 2nd May 2019 for construction of the Central market project at the cost of €248 million and expected to be completed in 48 Months.
However, 6-years down the line in the Nana Addo Bawumia government, construction works on the project is stalled since March 2024 because of funding.
We Want to ask Nana Addo and Bawumia that; “where is the €248 million Euros that was projected to complete the project”?
The Ashanti Region is known as the political stronghold of the NPP. Hence, Asanteman has nothing to show that, when the NPP came to power, this is what the region have received. This ungrateful attitude failing woefully in their capacity as a party to reward the people is a concern for every Asante to be worried.
As a political group in the market, we have observed with keen intereof how the NPP have taken the people for granted trading their plight with mere bread and butter…where Dr. Bawumia is hovering around sharing money to buy voters attention.
The NPP has made it clear that they are uncompareable to the NDC because, John Dramani Mahama has left a good legacy for Asanteman of which he built the Atonsu market, the Asawase market, the Tafo market, the Kejetia market, and three regional hospitals signifies how a nation builder he is.
We however dare NPP to come out mention one single regional hospital or project they have done for Asanteman if Nana Addo Bawumia thinks they have outperformed John Dramani Mahama in the Ashanti Region in their seven years in government…your reckless borrowing without anything to show has brought the nation under serve hardship of which price of goods, and cost of living is skyrocketing.
Today, businesses are collapsing, many shop owners died out of embedded debt following their bad governance.
The vice president and flagbearer, Dr. Bawumia who was thwarted as economic whisky has thrown overloaded his strange economic integrity into the gutters and chosen the part of digitalization dancing around flattering religious doctorine to become president after ballooning the country’s public debt from Ghs120 billion to Ghs569.3 billion without anything to show. A man who made Ghanaians believed he had the solutions to the weakened cedi against the dollar brags to have arrested the dollar and gave the keys to the IGP, the current market rate of one Ghana cedi to one United State Dollar is $15.37. “Such a leader”.
John Dramani Mahama started the Kejetia Market phase 1 project and completed and now serving the good people of Asanteman and that legacy can never be raised off. ” What did Nana Addo Bawumia do for Ashanti Region”.
“Asanteman deserves better, traders and business owners deserve better, transport operators deserve better, the Ghanaian youth deserves better”, but your reckless ostentatious Penchant for spending the public taxpayer’s money is unacceptable and regrettable.
A leader should be more concerned about growing businesses, not collapsing businesses and that is what Nana Addo and Dr. Bawumia are best known of collapsing the Ghanaian businesses. The portion of the Kejetia market that got burnt, this government failed to renovate the market…instead, Dr. Bawumia could not see any reason of fixing the market but have the desire of splashing Ghs200,000 on traders to accept his candidature.
“We deem utterly disappointed in the NPP Nana Addo Bawumia government for ignoring and neglecting such magnificent market complex that feeds millions of traders in the region”.
Hence, its very imperative for Ghanaians especially the Ashanti Region to take a key store of Nana Addo Bawumia administration and vote them out of power to save mother Ghana because they have no mercy for the suffering masses.
The Kumasi Central Market project is long overdue to be completed per Nana Addo’s projections when he cuts sod for the construction.
Thus, we are assuring Asanteman and His Royal Highness, Otumfou Osei Tutu II that, the kumasi central market project phase 2 will be completed when the “Nation Builder”, John Dramani Mahama wins the 2024 general elections.
In conclusion, we thank you all for coming and we believe in your pens that, the development of Asanteman matters to you as well hence, your efforts in communicating to those matters in the welfare of Asanteman are achieved.
