Chief of Bantama (Bantamahene) in the Kumasi Metropolis of the AShanti Region, Baffour Owusu Amankwatia VI, is has expreesed concerns about the lack of development ate of the region.
The influential sub-chief in an interaction with the media has subsequently pleaded with the government to give more attention to the state of Ghana’s second-largest city (Kumasi)
According to him Kumasi is gradually turning into a big village due to the stand still state of the capital city of Ashanti.
Some concerns he raised had to do with the state of major roads, abandoned hospital projects and trading in the streets, which he wants the Kumasi Mayor to take decisive action on.
“When you look at the development in Kumasi, especially our roads, now we would say that the government has started trying to, you know, sort out the inner roads, but then the problem is the sort of traffic jam that we experience in Kumasi.
“Until government tries to build overheads for this city, it will be challenging for us to get over the traffic jams that we have been experiencing,” he said.
Lamenting on health facilitis, he expressed that, “Komfo Anokye hospital, apart from dealing with major cases, is also saddled with minor cases because there are not enough hospitals in the Ashanti region.
“Because of this, I want to plead with the government that we have Konongo Government Hospital, we have Sewua Hospital, we have Afari and then we have Fomena and then Kumewu they’ve all not been completed.
“Some people are saying that they’ve been abandoned whatever it is I want to appeal to the government that the way things are going, the only way out to help with the health situation in the Ashanti Region and especially the Northern part of Ghana is to make sure that all these hospitals are made operational,” he said.
On the subject of street trading, he called on Kumasi Mayor Sam Pyne to take action: “We have empty spaces in our market that can house all these people selling on the street. I think the issue is enforcement. People need to be told that we don’t sell on the streets.
“We are telling the Chief Executive to try and make sure that he deals with this menace. I believe it is turning Kumasi into something else,” he added.
