The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is struggling to raise funds to relocate temporary occupants along the Ahodwo–Santasi stretch, a situation that is slowing efforts to begin the long-awaited dualisation of the road.
More than a month after the assembly directed car dealers, mechanics, taxi operators and squatters to vacate the area, the stretch remains congested, as authorities work to secure and prepare alternative trading sites for those affected.
The relocation exercise is critical to clearing the way for the Santasi–Ahodwo road project, which was officially announced by the KMA on September 24, 2025. At the time, temporary occupants were asked to leave the demarcated areas by October 31, 2025, to allow construction to proceed.
However, weeks after the deadline, many traders are still operating along the road shoulders.
“They told us to vacate here after Christmas. They’ve even mounted sticks for mapping. But we have nowhere to go,” one occupant told MyJoyOnline. “If they say they will do it, we are watching. But we don’t really have faith that the road will start anytime soon.”
Some traders say the uncertainty surrounding their relocation has affected their businesses.
“We don’t even know where we are going,” said Isaac Nyarko, a car dealer operating along the stretch. “If we knew our new location, we would at least inform our customers.”
According to the KMA, four relocation sites have been identified, but developing these spaces for occupation has become a major challenge due to limited funds.
Public Relations Officer of the Assembly, Henrietta Afia Konadu Aboagye, confirmed that financial constraints are slowing the process.
“The assembly is supposed to prepare the places for them, but we are constrained with funds,” she explained. “The mayor has gone back to central government and the contractor to present the challenge and seek support.”
She added that the situation, while challenging, has not completely derailed the project timeline. “The actual start date for the road construction is April, so we are still within the timeframe to relocate the occupants and officially pave way for the work,” she noted.
The Ahodwo–Santasi road dualisation project is being funded by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at a cost of about €17 million. The dual carriageway is expected to be completed within 24 months after commencement and is projected to significantly ease traffic congestion along one of Kumasi’s busy corridors.
For now, traders remain in limbo, and commuters continue to navigate the congested stretch, as the Assembly races to resolve funding issues and clear the path for construction to begin.
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