The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) says newly installed trading structures around the Baba Yara Sports Stadium are part of an approved redevelopment plan, rather than a reversal of its recent decongestion exercise.
The explanation follows public criticism over the rapid return of trading facilities after the Assembly demolished makeshift stalls and containers in the area.
Residents and traders had questioned why the structures were removed, only for new units to appear at the same location days later. Some also expressed concern that the demolition may have been unnecessary if trading was to resume around the stadium.
However, the KMA says the new units are intended to replace the informal stalls previously occupying the area and create a more organised and visually appealing environment for commercial activity.
The Assembly’s Public Relations Officer, Henrietta Afia Aboagye, said the containers were not being provided by the KMA. Instead, they are being designed and supplied by a private developer whose proposal was reviewed and approved by the Assembly.
“The containers are not being provided by the KMA. They are being designed and provided by a private individual. We saw the design and thought it was suitable, so we advised the traders to engage with him,” she told Citi News.
According to the Assembly, each of the new trading units is expected to cost about GH¢60,000. The facilities are intended to offer traders more structured premises while improving the appearance and management of the stadium’s surroundings.
The KMA said the redevelopment is part of a wider effort to regulate commercial activity around the Baba Yara Sports Stadium and make the area more orderly.
The earlier demolition was conducted during an exercise aimed at decongesting, sanitising and reorganising the stadium’s surroundings. The authorities cited public safety, traffic congestion and the occupation of public spaces as reasons for clearing the makeshift stalls and containers.
The operation prompted debate among members of the public, particularly after the new trading structures were erected soon afterwards. The KMA’s latest comments are intended to clarify that the two actions form part of a broader plan: the first to remove unregulated and unsuitable structures, and the second to introduce facilities approved for the area.
The Assembly has stressed that the replacement units are linked to the private developer’s proposal, rather than being a direct project funded or supplied by the KMA. Traders were advised to engage with that developer after the Assembly assessed the design and considered it appropriate for the location.
The development is therefore being presented by the KMA as a controlled redevelopment of trading space, rather than a return to the informal stalls that were removed during the decongestion exercise.
