Contractors ready to begin second phase of Kejetia Redevelopment Project
Contractors working on the Kejetia Redevelopment Project are ready to begin the second phase of the project, following the completion of the first phase.
The second phase includes the redevelopment of the Kumasi Central Market into a modern market with ancillary facilities to support and augment trading activities and provide a safer and more efficient environment for traders, at a cost of €248 million.
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This came to light last Wednesday when the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, visited the Kejetia Redevelopment Project site to familiarise himself with progress of work.
Visit
The Senior Minister was accompanied by the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Osei Assibey Antwi; the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Simon Osei-Mensah, and other officials.
The Chief Executive Officer of Contracta, the main contractor on the project, Mr Fabio Camara, said the company was only waiting for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to complete the allocation of stalls in the redeveloped market and move the traders from the old Kejetia Market into them to be able to relocate the traders from the Central Market.
He said after that allocation process, the remaining traders at the Central Market would be moved to Kejetia, the temporary Race Course Market and other satellite markets in the metropolis to pave the way for construction work to begin at the Kumasi Central Market.
Verification
Currently the traders are going through a verification process to validate shop owners for the allocation.
The KMA, before the relocation of traders and shop owners to temporary markets in the city, conducted biometric registration of all shop owners.
It was to ensure that those who were relocated from the market would be given preference in the allocation of space in the redeveloped market.
Scope of work
Mr Camara said just like the first phase, the Central Market would have a police station, restaurants, clinics, a crèche for the children of the traders, a public transport terminal, a prayer room, a fire station, a post office and a clinic to attend to the health needs of the traders.
Other facilities are administrative offices, a waste separation dock, a cafeteria for staff, a sewage treatment station, standby generators and petrol and gas storage tanks.
Senior Minister
Mr Osafo-Maafo, who was visibly impressed by the scale and quality of work done on the redeveloped Kejetia Market, commended the contractors for a good work done and was hopeful that the feat would be replicated in the second phase.
He was particularly impressed by the inclusion of ancillary facilities in the market and appealed to the managers to make the charges for the communal amenities affordable for the traders and visitors to the market.