Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development Hon. Edwin Nii Lantey Vandapuye has assured the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) that the committee will push for financial arrangement and approval in Parliament for start of Phase 2 and 3 of Kumasi Redevelopment Projects, now that all litigations impeding the progress of the Phase 1 have been cleared.

He said the projects when completed, will not only boost the economic activities in the city, they will also beautify the city and ease human and traffic congestion in the city, which have been a problem facing the city recently.

Hon. Nii Lantey Vandapuiye, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Odododiodoo constituency in the Greater Accra region, made the assurance when the Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development visited the construction site of the Kejetia Redevelopment Project on Saturday February 3, 2018, together with officials of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, led by the Mayor, Hon. Osei Assibey Antwi, to assess the progress of work so far.

Other members of the Select Committee included the MPfor Asuogyaman constituency in the Eastern region and MP for Akyim Swedru in the central region.

The Kumasi redevelopment project which started in 2015, is built in three phases, starting from the Kumasi Kejetia Bus Terminal, which is the phase one, at the cost of US$198 million.

The second and third phases of the project, valued at US$100 mil­lion, would centre on works at the main Kumasi Central Market.

He bemoaned that the current Kumasi central market is an eye sore and does not fit to be in Kumasi, once the “Garden City of West Africa”, and called on the Assembly to expedite work to bring the Phase 2 and 3 to Parliament for final approval.

“Now that all the litigation cases that were impeding the progress of Kejetia project have been cleared, I will call for the support of all for early completion so that we all concentrate on the Phase 2 and 3 to make Kumasi what we want it to be. We the Members in the Committee will push for the financial approval and arrangements for the other phases of the projects,” he said.

“This will be the biggest market in West Africa, it will boost businesses in the city, will create more jobs and capital base will be expanded among the traders,” he added.

He, therefore, called for support, especially from the traders who have been dislocated after the ejection, to endure the hardship they are going through for the development of Kumasi.

The Mayor of Kumasi, Hon. Osei Assibey Antwi, on behalf of the Assembly, showed appreciation to the MPs for the visit and their readiness to assist the Assembly for the start of Phase 2 and 3 of Kumasi Redevelopment Projects, which he believed, will address the challenges of the Phase 1 (Kejetia Project).

Hon. Assibey Antwi also showed appreciation to the role played by the Kumasi traditional Council in solving a feud between the KMA and other private developers, whose activities at the Kejetia were delaying the work of the project.

He also denied the allegation that the KMA, under the new government has changed the designs of the Redevelopment Projects.

“People are alleging that KMA has changed the drawings of the projects. No, I want to put on record that during my tenure of office we have not changed any drawing, the Consultants are there and they can be contacted and verified’’ he stated.

“This is a project for all and it should be devoid of politics. Anybody who tries to set an agenda on the projects is setting an agenda against the development of Kumasi and it shouldn’t be politicized,’’ he added.