The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has announced plans to provide temporary spaces for traders and businesses along the Santasi–Ahodwo corridor ahead of a major road dualisation project set to begin in November 2025.
The €17 million project, funded by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will see the construction of a dual carriageway from Santasi to the Ahodwo roundabout, with an interchange linking to Asokwa. Completion is expected within 18 to 24 months.
Metro Chief Executive, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, confirmed that traders and occupants along the corridor have been directed to vacate by the end of October. He cautioned that all illegal structures would be demolished from November 1 to pave the way for construction.
“We cannot wait for squatters and those with illegal structures along the way of construction. We will destroy anything in our way by 1st November,” the Mayor told Luv FM.
He assured, however, that affected traders will be relocated to temporary sites to continue their activities during the construction period.
Alternative routes and sanitation concerns
To ease movement, the KMA has mapped out alternative access routes through Fante New Bar, Adiembra, Nhyiaeso West, and the Apostolic College of Education enclave. Some bridges on these roads will be reinforced to handle increased traffic.
The Mayor also raised concerns about sanitation along the corridor, especially the heaps of refuse near the Georgia Hotel stretch in Asokwa. He disclosed that discussions are underway with the Asokwa Municipal Assembly to deploy excavators to clear the waste.
Mr. Boadi lamented the persistent problem of indiscriminate dumping of refrigerators, furniture, and other heavy waste in drains, warning that such practices worsen flooding and drain the Assembly’s limited resources.
“We cannot continue to choke our drains and later blame city authorities. Citizens must also be responsible because, at the end of the day, it affects all of us,” he said.
The dualisation project is part of the government’s broader plan to ease congestion, enhance mobility, and modernise road infrastructure in the Ashanti regional capital.