Don’t Politicize Kejetia/Central Market Redevelopment Project - Says Otumfuo’s Representative

Nana Agyenim Boateng, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s representative and Chairman of the Kejetia /Central Market Redevelopment Validation and Verification Oversight Committee, has called on stakeholders and traders not to politicize the Kejetia/ Central Market Redevelopment Project.

The multi-million US Dollar project, he said, was very sensitive to the people, saying it should, therefore, not be politicized for sanity to prevail.

Nana Boateng was reacting to a threat by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)……………. to the effect that he intended to organize a demonstration against authorities of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) if it failed to open the market by the end of January, this year.

The Asantehene’s representative described the NDC Chairman’s threats as lacking merit since the Oversight Committee had a roadmap for the resettlement of the traders, which currently, was been adhered to.

“We are assuring the general public, especially traders and stakeholders that the necessary measures were being put in place to resettle the traders to shops at Kejetia latest by March, this year,” he told the media in Kumasi. 

Explaining further, Nana Boateng said although the first phase of the project was ready and could be opened to the public at any time, however, the Committee was being meticulous with the implementation of the roadmap to avoid any misunderstanding on the part of the traders when they finally get resettled.

The US$298 million state-of-the-art project started in July 2015, and was scheduled to be completed in January, this year, but was delayed due to court matters arising from litigation between private land developers and KMA over pulling down of structures around the facility.

Nana Boateng pointed out that per the roadmap adopted by the then Mahama-led government, there was a provision for a biometric registration, validation and verification.

This, he said, aimed purposely to ensure that the right owners of the various shops at Kejetia were duly identified and given their facilities upon the completion of the project.

The chairman noted that owners of the shops would have access to their various facilities with the use of an E-zwich system.

Consequently, the Assembly was engaging some interested banks with regard to the issuance of E-zwich cards to the shop owners.