Delays Hit Ahodwo-Santasi Road Project Over Trader Relocation Funds
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is facing hurdles in securing funds to relocate businesses and residents along the Ahodwo–Santasi road, delaying the start of the much-anticipated dualisation project.
Despite a directive issued over a month ago for car dealers, mechanics, taxi operators, and squatters to vacate the area, the stretch remains heavily congested. The KMA is currently working to prepare alternative sites for those affected.
The relocation is a crucial step to enable the Santasi–Ahodwo road project, which was officially announced on September 24, 2025. Occupants were initially asked to leave by October 31, 2025, to allow construction to begin.
However, weeks past the deadline, many traders continue to operate 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 lamented to 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.”
The uncertainty is taking a toll on businesses. Isaac Nyarko, a car dealer along the stretch, explained, “We don’t even know where we are going. If we knew our new location, we would at least inform our customers.”
The KMA has identified four potential relocation sites, but Henrietta Afia Konadu Aboagye, the Assembly’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed that a lack of funds is hindering their development. “The assembly is supposed to prepare the places for them, but we are constrained with funds,” she stated. “The mayor has gone back to central government and the contractor to present the challenge and seek support.”
Ms. Aboagye assured that the project timeline remains largely intact. “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.
Funded by the Japanese government through JICA at a cost of approximately €17 million, the Ahodwo–Santasi road dualisation is expected to be completed within 24 months of commencement. The project aims to alleviate the significant traffic congestion along this busy Kumasi corridor.
For now, traders remain in a state of uncertainty, and commuters continue to grapple with the congested road, as the KMA works to secure the necessary funding and facilitate the relocation process.
Image Source: MYJOYONLINE
