A team of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly officials have visited the Kumasi Central Market and given traders an ultimatum to evacuate to the new Kejetia market.

The decision is to enable the redevelopment of the Central Market.

The KMA extended a stipulated time for traders to cope with the Christmas Market after they received a plea to allow them sell during the festive season. 

They have thus given market women to the end of January this year for their evacuation and the demolition of the central market to pave the way for the construction of the new market to start.

The team was led by the consultant for Contracta, the construction firm executing the project, Mr Emmanuel Danso, and included the Administrative Manager of the Kumasi Central Market, Mrs Deborah Okrah.

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With the aid of megaphones, the team amicably interacted with the traders and asked them to cooperate with the authorities during the evacuation period.

So far, 98 per cent of processes leading to the movement of traders to the market have been completed,” Mr Danso told the traders, and urged all those with concerns to go to the administrative office today for them to be addressed.

“All keys to the new shops are ready,” he added, and said many of the traders refused to go for their keys, as advised, perhaps because they were busily trading during the festive season.

Mr. Danso assured the traders that unlike the first phase which was delayed because of litigation with some private landowners, there would be no hindrance to the early completion of the second phase.

The redevelopment of the Kumasi Central Market is a €248-million project being financed by the Deutsche Bank of Germany, with export credit guarantee from the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF).

The project is being undertaken by Messrs Contracta Construction Ltd, a UK-based company, and is expected to be completed within 48 months.