Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has pledged government’s commitment to complete the long-abandoned Mamponteng Market project in the Kwabre East Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang gave the assurance when she visited the project site as part of her working tour of the region. She noted that the market is the main workplace for many women and stressed the need to provide a safe and modernized facility to enhance their trading activities. She also promised to mobilize funds, including allocations from the District Assemblies Common Fund, to facilitate completion of the project.
The Mamponteng Market contract was awarded in 2012 to Messrs. High A Limited at a cost of GH¢8.8 million, under the supervision of ABP Consult Limited. It was designed to provide a three-storey administration block, four two-storey buildings with 197 lockable shops, two banks, 188 market stalls, a supermarket with warehouses, toll booths, and a daycare centre. However, work came to a halt in 2013 due to funding challenges.
The delay has forced many traders to operate in unsafe and congested spaces, including under high-tension electricity poles and along major roads, posing serious safety risks and worsening traffic congestion.
Municipal Chief Executive of Kwabre East, Joseph Amankwah, welcomed the Vice President’s intervention, describing it as the beginning of a new era. He added that completing the project will not only improve safety and trading conditions but also boost the Assembly’s revenue.
As part of her tour, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also visited the Suame and Krofuom markets, as well as paid a courtesy call on His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace.
