The President, John Dramani Mahama, has made an emphatic promise to complete the Krofofrom Market project, which stalled over the years to be fully operational by the close of 2026.
The Krofrom Market complex had been listed under the government’s 18 market enhancement projects across the country and one of the 10 major projects to be completed in the Ashanti Region.
The other projects pencilled for completion are the Suame Interchange, €248-million Second phase of the Kejetia Redevelopment, which is 66% complete currently; Mamponteng Market, Afari Military Hospital, Sewua Regional Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, KNUST Teaching Hospital and the rehabilitation of Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
He gave the assurance during his “Thank You” tour of the Ashanti region a fortnight ago that projects started by previous administration would be completed, emphasising the NDC administration’s commitment to continuity and results and further promised more projects for the region, reaffirming the NDC’s focus on development and improving living conditions.
President Mahama said the market could absorb about 20,000 traders on completion. He has directed the Mayor of Kumasi, Richard Ofori Agyemang-Boadi, to liaise with the Presidency to ensure the project takes off as soon as possible.
According to the mayor about GHc150 million would be needed to complete the Krofrom Market complex following assessment by Local Government officials.
Tenders for the quality and first class landmark project to pass as a Jubilee Project, undertaken by the Regional Coordinating Council in conjunction with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) were opened in September 2008 under a Government of Ghana (GOG) funding.
Eight Contractors were awarded the contract and paid a total of GH¢1,014,558.02 as at November 2008, as 20 percent mobilisation fee of the contract sum of the four phased project.
Official contract documents sighted by The Chronicle mentioned the contractors as Messrs Sir Bans Designs and Building Co. Ltd (GH¢96,862.96); Orabek Ghana Ltd (GH¢96,890.30); A. BEK Limited (GH¢96,918.80); Joevid Company Limited (GH98, 332.96) and Messrs Attachy Construction (GH¢226,946.00).
The rest are Messrs E. Owusu Mensah & Co (GH¢149,817.31); Stanbay Limited (GH¢113,742.59) and Jinas Construction Limited (GH¢135,047.28).
About 1,900 traders and 20 transport operators had been displaced then for the project to take off, but the GH¢15,001,023.41 project has stalled due to the irregular flow of funds in spite of efforts to source funding for its completion.
The first phase of the project, which includes the construction of washrooms, cold store, bulk breaking point, food court, fire and police posts on the ground floor were expected to be completed by March 2010.
The project, situated on a 12-acre plot of land, comprises 72 Open Market stalls each containing 32 individual stalls totalling 2,304 single stalls, with paved walkways and driveways in between the sheds, three Shopping Blocks, which contain Anchor spaces for Banks, Shops, Retail Outlets, Leisure/Administrative Centre, Warehouse, Offices, Clinic, Pharmacies, as well as Police/Fire Station, car park, market stalls, auxiliary floors, space for banks, offices, day care centre, refuse collection sites and toilet facilities.
Actual construction works of the four-phase project commenced in July 2009, but it stalled since.
Under the Professor John Evans Atta Mills administration, the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) secured funds for the continuation of the four-phase redevelopment of the New Tafo (Krofofrom) Market project which was subsequently captured in the 2012 Budget as a result of which the government, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, managed to pay the outstanding debts of the contractors, but the project continues to be stalled.
In July 2018, the KMA applied to the Ministries of Finance and that of Local Government and Rural Development through the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council to source funding from the private sector for the completion of the GH¢15 million project.
The KMA also made several attempts to woo prospective investors under the Private Public Partnership to source funding for the project, seen as viable and self-financing, to no avail.
In April 2023, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) negotiated with the International Municipal Investment Fund (IMIF) to secure support for some selected projects including the Krofrom Market complex project, the construction of a Multi-storey car park and the Bus Rapid Transit system.
Expectations of the traders are high following the promise by the President as the Market women and traders and Transport unions are hoping to see to a completed Market at Krofrom at the end of 2026.
They commended the President for inspecting the Krofrom market in the first place to assess the current state.
“We foresee a mass support for the government, once the promise to complete the market is fulfilled after it has unduly stalled for more than 15 years”, the traders assured.
