ANTI-DEVELOPMENT CITIZENS KICK AGAINST KEJETIA REDEVELOPMENT

 

An aerial view of the Kejetia Lorry Terminal in Kumasi

A group of residents in Kumasi calling themselves ‘Kejetia Traders Association’ have kicked against the proposed redevelopment project to modernize the Kejetia Lorry Terminal in Kumasi.

The Kejetia Redevelopment Project, scheduled to start by the end of next month, March, is the first phase of the proposed Kumasi Central Market Redevelopment, which will be carried out in three phases.

The Kejetia project would last between 24 and 30 months for which reason the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, which is responsible for the development and management of the metropolis, says it has already secured two alternative trading centres with stores to relocate the traders to be affected by the project at no cost.

These are the Adehyeman and Royal Markets in Kumasi where about one thousand of the traders have been asked to relocate.

 The traders at the Kejetia Terminal, clad in red apparel and arm bands and dancing to loud music, protested the proposed project within the terminal without formally informing the police in line with the Public Order Act.

A section of the demonstrators at the Terminal

They also obstructed the free movement of both vehicles and commuters at the terminal.

In fact, the original plan to protest against the project was a News Conference to be addressed by the leadership of the traders.

But it is unclear what led to the sudden turn of events.

Later at a News Conference, the Chairman of the Traders, Benard Kwasi Dowmoh, popularly called Bentronic, said even though the traders are not 


against the proposed Kejetia redevelopment plan, they are not happy about the two-month ejection notice given them by the KMA.

However, in a sharp contrast to the assertion by Bentronic, the Communication Director of the Association, Andrews Kwofie who officially read the prepared message for the media, questioned the legality of the project saying that Kejetia is not an extension of the Central Market whose redevelopment the Parliament of Ghana has already approved a 298 million Dollar loan.

Mr. Kwofie, in the speech claimed that the project has not gone through due legal processes and said the project is only meant to create avenue for government appointees to amass wealth.

 “At least, we know that Parliament approved for the funding for Central Market. But there is none for the purported Kejetia project which the Mayor is trying to force down our throat”, Mr. Kwofie said.

Meanwhile, the KMA insists that the project will take off as planned and refuted almost all the claims made by the traders.

The Public Relations Officer of the KMA, Godwin Okumah Nyame told Ashanti Today, that the Kejetia redevelopment project is a key component of the Central market project and that the entire project has a definite timeline which cannot be postponed.

According to him, the leadership of the traders have been informed to the project, even though there are plans to further engage them in a dialogue.

Godwin Okumah Nyame, PRO of KMA

“The two month ejection notice is a transitional period to relocate the traders from the terminal for which only property owners within the terminal who are affected by the project have been served with the ejection notice”, the PRO clarified.

He said the terminal will be transformed into one storey facility with a trading centre for about 10 thousand traders on the top while the ground floor will be reserved for the terminal.

“The current traders at the terminal will have the first option of resettlement when the facility is completed”, he assured.