The leadership of trader groups in the Ashanti Region is demanding clarity from the government on how it plans to fund and complete Phase Two of the Kejetia Market after the project was listed among stalled developments in the 2025 Budget Statement.
The traders insist that the Finance Ministry must provide specific allocations and timelines to ensure the project’s completion so it can serve its intended purpose.
The project was halted due to the previous administration’s Debt Restructuring Program, leaving several traders displaced. Many affected traders refused to relocate to the Racecourse and Afia Kobi Market (Abinkyi Market), the designated satellite markets. As a result, some have taken over pavements and major streets, worsening congestion in Kumasi.
Although contractors have resumed work, Nana Akwasi Prempeh, President of the Federation of Kumasi Traders, is urging the government to prioritize its completion.
“The Ashanti Regional Minister told us blankly that Kejetia Phase II market, Krofuom Market, and the Mampongten Market were priority markets he is going to ensure that, within the first year of this administration, they were going to work hard on it. But as I said, the Finance Minister didn’t make any specific allocation to it,” he stated.
The Kejetia Market continues to face several challenges, including an unstable power supply and concerns about the facility’s overall condition.
“Officially, since there is no mayor for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, the traders’ union have presented a document to the regional minister to act on, and I think he and his advisors will read through the petition we have given to him,” he added.
Trader unions have also petitioned the Ashanti Regional Minister to establish a new management team to oversee the market’s affairs. Meanwhile, displaced traders continue to pressure their leaders to push for the project’s completion.
