Ashanti Region: Multi-million dollar Krofrom market now den of rodents, criminals

The Krofrom market, a multi-million dollar commercial edifice in one of the prominent suburbs of Kumasi, is now a den of rodents and criminals.

The site has grown into a forest, where young boys set traps for rats. It has also become a den for all sorts of criminal activities during the day and night.

The project, which was started in 2007 by former President Kuffuor, was to be completed in six months but was abandoned in 2008, mainly due to a lack of funds.

The market was supposed to accommodate over 500 stores and shelves and to enhance business activities in the metropolis.

The completion of the Krofrom Market Project was crucial, especially when the people in the metropolis saw it as an important project to reduce congestion in the central business district when the redevelopment of the Kejetia and the Kumasi central market projects were started.

This did not happen, and the market continued to rot, while people and vehicles were unable to move freely in the central business districts of Kumasi due to the presence of hawkers and traders on the streets.

Several appeals and agitations by traders and residents for the completion of the abandoned market have failed to yield any positive results.

When Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the site of the project on April 1, 2024, to assess the current situation of the market, reporters met a group of young men trapping rats, a situation which looked worrisome.

The deterioration and bushy situation of the market is not only an eyesore, but a danger to residents and those who hawk around the market, and needs urgent attention from the government.

Some traders and residents near the abandoned project expressed frustration over the prolonged period of abandonment, which was impacting negatively on commercial activities in the area.

Madam Charity Ayamba, who weaves Kente on one of the floors, said though it had provided a place for her Kente weaving business, the continued abandonment of the project by the government was a worrying situation for everybody in the community.

Mr Kofi Douglas, a resident, also explained that passing around the market was a nightmare since one could easily lose his or her property to criminals who had taken over the project.

According to him, the market had also become a refuse dump and toilet facility for some people in the area. Weed smokers and junkies have also taken over the abandoned market as a shelter for their nefarious activities.

Mr Isaac Owusu, the assemblyman for the Krofrom electoral area, told GNA that the situation of the abandoned market had become problematic after many calls to authorities to complete it had failed.

He said, economic activities in the area had stagnated, while some youth of the area were engaging in criminal activities in the building.

Mr Owusu said recently, he erected some street lights to illuminate the area in the night as part of efforts to ward off criminals. He said he planned to get the area weeded in the coming days.

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