Kumasi Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project Should Be Under a Social Contract; Asantehene to World Bank

The Monarch of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has proposed to the World Bank that the implementation of the Kumasi Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project (KUMAP) be carried out under a social contract.

Otumfuo is confident that such a contract will expedite the implementation of the project.

“I don’t want to depend on politicians for my development. I don’t want that so let’s have the social contract. This is something I want us to look at,” His Majesty said during a visit by the World Bank’s Vice President for Western and Central Africa, His Excellency Ousmane Diagana on January 10, 2025, to discuss the KUMAP.

He bemoaned the project has been in the pipeline since 2015.

“It’s been on the drawing board for some time- 2015. The bureaucracy is something I don’t like at all. We have to push harder now.”

“The population has increased. We have all these vehicles fighting for space and that doesn’t help in the economic development because everybody is clamouring to go to the centre… If you calculate in hours how much it costs in terms of petrol and diesel, you find out it’s costing the economy so much…2025 is ten years since you began talking about it. If you had done it earlier, it would have helped the economy and employment. We have available human resources.”

Another factor the King pointed out for the delay was the location of the project office.

According to the King, a project in Kumasi with its office is in Accra would definitely face challenges and exacerbate the bureaucratic processes.

“The project shouldn’t be running from Accra when the project is in Kumasi. The project unit should be here and the project coordinator must also be resident here so that at least the stakeholders will be able to coordinate with them and know how it goes.”

Further Meeting
His Majesty set up another meeting with the project crew to get a fair view of the project.

“I want to meet the project team. If I have to go to Accra for them to take me to Washington, we will do that.”

The World Bank’s Vice President for Western and Central Africa accepted Otumfuo’s counsel to have the project office in Kumasi saying, “I fully agree with you to be close to the project.”

In his address, he said the measure is part of the new dynamic his team was proposing to the Bank.

“We are discussing what are the mechanisms so that when the project is approved, implementation cannot be delayed. This year, our plan is for Kumasi.

Significance and Update
He said the project- the third of its kind in West and Central Africa- would accelerate the city’s development, facilitating job creation and creating opportunities for the youth.

According to him, the programme is making a lot of progress in terms of design and is anticipated to receive approval in June 2025.

“In Kumasi and Abidjan, we intend to invest in this kind of operation. Not only because of rapid urbanisation and the onset of climate change that has put a lot of pressure on services in the cities but also because we know that cities are the centres for creating jobs.

“It’s the centre where the fight against poverty can be accelerated and Kumasi has a rapid potential. We can make good use of this potential. Definitely, a programme like this one should be developed.”

Guidance
He therefore urged the King to make his guidance easily accessible to the project team.

“We know it is complex in work and therefore your guidance will be highly appreciated so that it will be successful.”

Delegation
Accompanying the Vice President for the meeting held at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi were Robert Taliercio, Country Director, Michelle Keane, Operations Manager, Madhu Raghunath, Practice Manager, Urban Development, Resilience and Land, Dhruva Sahai, Senior Energy Specialist/Program Leader and Akua Pokuaa Timpabi, Transport Specialist.

The team was led by key officials from the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council including the Chief Director, Michael Owusu Amoako, the Regional Economic Planning Officer, Beatrice Kwarteng and the Regional Director, DUR, Francis Gambrah.

About the Project
The purpose of the project is to improve mobility, safety and accessibility along the selected corridors and improve planning capacity for sustainable urban growth in the GKMA.

The project is made up of three components. The first component will implement a bus rapid transit (BRT) system, which covers the construction and upgrading of relevant infrastructure.

The second will help to facilitate a smooth transition to a new mass transit system, including the development of new reforms and frameworks, and support for current transport operators to develop the skills to flourish under the new BRT system.

The final component will help to develop plans and policies to complement the new mass transit system, such as creating more public spaces and looking at how policies and practices used in this project can be applied elsewhere to cities of a similar size.

It is estimated to cost US$ 440.00 million and would be implemented by the Ministry of Roads and Highway and the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization & Rural Development.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini