Advertisement

President Akufo-Addo and the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, looking on as Mr Simon Osei Mensah (right), the Ashanti Regional Minister, unveils the stool to inaugurate the Kumasi City Mall. Picture: EMMANUEL BAAH
President Akufo-Addo and the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, looking on as Mr Simon Osei Mensah (right), the Ashanti Regional Minister, unveils the stool to inaugurate the Kumasi City Mall. Picture: EMMANUEL BAAH

Akufo-Addo opens Kumasi City Mall

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has challenged the management of malls in the country to focus on the sale of Ghanaian goods.

The President expressed worry that products originating from local entrepreneurs accounted for just about five per cent of goods sold in the malls, a development which, he said, was a disincentive to local production initiatives.

President Akufo-Addo said this at the official opening of the $95 million Kumasi City Mall yesterday.

The one-stop shopping mall is the first to be opened in the Ashanti Region and it stocks all kinds of items and provides entertainment as well.

President Akufo-Addo stated that it was not right that Ghana continued to be a retailer of cheap imported goods, while the capacity of local producers remained weak and their products suffered low patronage.

He said all over the world, the emergence of such new businesses were to create jobs and trigger increase in local spending.

‘We want Kumasi to be a place of work again, not just a place where people come for funerals,’ he said.

Shifting focus

President Akufo-Addo stressed that the time was up for the country to shift focus from a raw material producing and exporting country to one of value addition, to trigger growth.

‘We cannot create the hundreds of thousands of jobs for the masses of our young people, if the sustenance of our economy is import-dependent and import-driven, as well as being dependent on raw materials export,’ he added.

 As captured in this year’s budget, the President re-echoed that the economic policy of his government hinged on value addition to the country’s raw materials.

He said that would not only promote rapid industrialisation, but also enhance agricultural production.

‘Our priority is to do all we can to give our entrepreneurs the certainty of a positive business environment, devoid of arbitrary and irrational policy initiative, so that they can do what they should do best and thus invest in the numerous opportunities to create jobs and prosperity,” he said..

 President Akufo-Addo reiterated that the initiatives introduced in the budget were aimed at stimulating private sector activity, and shifting the focus of the economy from taxation to production.

He charged the private sector to take advantage of the new focus, which was offering opportunities to local ingenuity and production.

He said no country had developed, depending on handouts and aids and urged local entrepreneurs to remain relevant in the competitive global economy.

Youth

The President said the government’s focus was to liberate the energies of the young people by harnessing talents and building skills, inspiring innovation and risk taking; connecting to global chains and nurturing a deep sense of patriotism.

President Akufo-Addo urged the youth to take advantage of the government’s flagship ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ programme to make a living.

He said the government, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, was adopting measures to ensure that non-Ghanaians did not engage in petty retail trading.

“Ghana’s doors are always open to investors in retail trade, but they must respect the rules and regulation governing the sector,’ he said.

Board Chairman

The Chairman of the Board of Kumasi City Mall, Mr Kofi Sekyere, also in a speech, said Kumasi had always been an active trading hub and the establishment of the mall was a huge addition to that image of the city.

 He said Delico Property Investment Ghana Limited, the providers of the Mall, was to facilitate the transfer of skills and engender the transmission of knowledge in this highly specialised area of retail property development.

He stated that it had set up a strong technical and professional team from South Africa to collaborate with a corresponding team of Ghanaian professionals to actualise this.

Mr Sekyere named the food     court in the mall after the late Asantehemaa,  Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II.

The Mall

The Kumasi City Mall is located at Asokwa and sits on a total land area of 15.4 acres with a space of 18,500 square metres and potential for further expansion of up to 10,000 square metres.

It is the third straight development by Delico Property Investments Limited, coming after West Hills Mall (2014) and the Achimota Retail Centre (2015), both in Accra.

With a total car parking capacity of over 1,000 bays on-grade, as well as undercover basement, the Kumasi City Mall is anchored by two well-known retail operators in Ghana, namely Shoprite and Game.

Connect With Us : 0242202447 | 0551484843 | 0266361755 | 059 199 7513 |