Effective January 2027, individuals and organisations seeking to install container structures within the Kumasi metropolis will be required to use approved standardised designs by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).
The new policy forms part of efforts by the KMA to improve the city’s aesthetics, promote order and beautification and ensure proper planning. The Metropolitan Chief Executive, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, popularly known as King Zuba; explained that the policy, which has been approved by the General Assembly through an existing by-law, will later be extended to other parts of Kumasi where container structures have been erected.
“The Assembly has approved a motion that effective January 2027, anyone who wants to install a container in Kumasi must obtain a standard design from the KMA Spatial or Physical Planning Department,” he stated. He said the initiative is currently being piloted around the Baba Yara Sports Stadium enclave, where the Assembly is introducing uniform prefabricated container designs for commercial activities.
“We will extend these standardised designed containers to other parts of Kumasi to beautify the city,” he said. The MCE also announced plans to develop organised trading spaces at the Opoku Trading Area to provide a safer and more suitable environment for market women.
According to him, the Assembly would construct trading structures for traders, particularly those currently selling meat under poor conditions, at no cost to them. He stressed that the exercise was not intended to harass traders, but to ensure free movement of people and vehicles while reducing the risk of accidents.
The KMA boss said the interventions form part of his administration’s broader vision to reposition Kumasi as a cleaner, safer and well-planned metropolis. The Assembly has embarked on demolition of unauthorised structures across the city to improve sanitation, safety and the general outlook of the metropolis.
Mr. Boadi further disclosed that a targeted decongestion exercise will begin at Alabar on August 17, 2026, to restore order and improve movement within the area. “From August 17, we will begin a targeted decongestion exercise at Alabar. This is not about harassing traders. It is about restoring order, ensuring free movement of people and vehicles, and preventing avoidable accidents,” he said.
