Greater Kumasi Industrial City Project Commences

Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has been informed about the commencement of the first phase of the Greater Kumasi Industrial Park and Special Economic Zone Project in the Ejisu Municipality.

The landmark project which the Ministry of Trade and Industry has initiated with the support of the World Bank in full will cover a total of 3,388.2 acres of land in the Ashanti Region.

A delegation led by the Minister for Trade and Industry, Kobina Tahir Hammond, informed Otumfuo about the commencement of the first phase of the Project estimated to occupy 597 acres of the entire tract of land that was given to the state by the King.

It comes one year after the Ministry of Trade headed by the former Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen first informed the Palace about it.

First Phase
“This courtesy is first to inform Otumfuo that the 1st Phase of the Project in the Boankra Section covering 597 acres is commencing with the construction of offsite public infrastructure funded by the World Bank to the tune of US$ 30 million,” KT Hammond said during a courtesy call on September 11, 2024.

He said the Government is seeking further funding support for the second phase which will sit on the remaining 2,791.2 acres.

This, he said, will attract additional investment from the private sector and development partners to establish more multipurpose and special-purpose industrial parks in the Special Economic Zone for massive industrialisation.

He further indicated that the 143 persons affected by the project had already been compensated.

Contractor
Additionally, the Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa introduced Maripoma Engineering Limited as the project contractor.

“The second objective is to introduce the project management team of the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contractor, Maripoma Engineering Limited, and seek the blessing of Otumfuo for the Contractor to move to the project site.”

At Long Last
The Asantehene in his remarks welcomed the news, indicating that it had taken quite a long time to commence.

“The former Minister came to inform me about the free zones project. {The land for this project and that of} the land for Boankra had long been set aside for these developmental projects. I have been looking forward to its commencement ever since. It’s been a long while. For the Boankra project, the Shippers Authority is on it. The Ministry of Trade had to deal with the free zone project but had been left untouched.”

He commended the sector Minister for seeing to it in his tenure, affirming that the project will attract development and open the place up for investment.

“When the port is completed, businesses will spring up and private businesses will grow and create jobs.”

Otumfuo, however, expressed concerns about the absence of a railway line to augment both the Boakra project and the industrial city project.

“The absence of a railway line is the problem because it would have aided in the transportation of goods across the country.”

Timeline
He further expressed his hope of seeing the project executed by the contractor on time to complement the Boankra port which is also underway.

Charging the Minister to steadily monitor the progress of the work, Otumfuo availed himself to resolve all outstanding issues about the land earmarked for the project.

Story by Hajara Fuseini