The Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, has refuted claims that President John Dramani Mahama promised to complete Phase Two of the Kejetia Market Redevelopment Project by the end of 2026.
The clarification follows media reports, including a publication by the state-owned Daily Graphic, which quoted the President as making the promise during his “Thank You Tour” of the Ashanti Region on July 16, 2025.
Speaking on Nhyira FM’s Kro Yi Mu Nsem programme on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, Mr Agyemang Boadi said he was present during the President’s inspection of the project and no such deadline was announced.
“Let me establish this fact: the President never promised during the inspection of the project as part of his tour that it will be completed by the end of 2026. I was there with him and I heard everything he said. Nothing like that came out of his mouth,” he said.
He challenged media houses that reported the claim to provide evidence, arguing that newspaper and online publications alone do not constitute proof.
“If you have it, play the President’s voice making that remark. What you are reading is a newspaper publication,” he told host Barima Kofi Dawson.
The Kumasi Mayor explained that funding challenges remain the major obstacle delaying the project. He accused the previous administration of failing to honour payments owed to the contractor despite securing financing for the project.
“The government that we took over from secured about £280 million for Kejetia Phase Two. But when the contractor submitted a certificate in May 2023, that government was unable to pay,” Mr Boadi stated.
He said the current administration is working to resolve the funding challenges and ensure the project resumes.
According to him, a high-level meeting was held a day after the Accra flooding crisis involving the contractor, project consultants, the Minister of Local Government, and officials from the Ministry of Finance to discuss outstanding issues.
“A final meeting will be held in the next two weeks to take a decision. After that, government will seek parliamentary approval to secure the funds needed to complete the project,” he added.
Mr Boadi projected that once funding is secured, the project could be completed within 16 months.
Fact check: What President Mahama actually said
A review of the transcript and video from President Mahama’s tour shows that he did not personally give a completion deadline but referred to an assurance from the contractor.
President Mahama said:
“After engaging the contractors and I observed that the project has made progress. It is about 60% complete. We will intensify efforts to complete it quickly so it can be put to use. The contractor has also assured me that if all goes well, the market will be fully completed by the end of 2026.”
The clarification comes amid growing frustration among traders who were displaced to make way for the project.
Some Kumasi traders have threatened to occupy the Kejetia Phase Two project site in protest over the prolonged delay.
“If the Kumasi traders attempt to occupy the Kejetia Phase Two project site, the contractor will involve the police to deal with them,” the city mayor cautioned.
He appealed for calm, assuring traders that the government remains committed to completing both Kejetia Phase Two and the abandoned Krofrom Market.
Background
Phase Two of the Kejetia Market Redevelopment Project is expected to add thousands of stores to the completed Phase One, which was commissioned in 2018.
The expansion also includes the redevelopment of the Krofrom Market as part of efforts to decongest Kumasi’s Central Business District and provide modern trading facilities.
The project is being financed through a UK Export Finance facility and executed by Contracta Construction UK Ltd.
Stakeholders say completing the project is critical to boosting commerce in the Ashanti Region, which serves as a major trading hub for Ghana and neighbouring countries.
READ:
Biometric verification of Ghana Card now mandatory for all transactions –…
