The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has begun demolishing temporary structures and falling trees along the Santasi Roundabout to Asokwa Interchange stretch ahead of the construction of a dual-carriage road project.
The exercise, which started last Monday, is to pave the way for the major road upgrade.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) for KMA, Richard Ofori-Agyeman Boadi, led a joint team of KMA officials, city engineers and security personnel to supervise the demolition of the affected structures along the road.
The team pulled down wooden kiosks, bill boards, metal containers, trees and makeshift stalls that had encroached on road reservations.
According to Mr Boadi, the demolition exercise formed part of preparatory works for the much-anticipated dualisation of the Santasi-Asokwa corridor to improve traffic and bring relief to motorists.
“Upon completion, the road will ease traffic congestion and improve travel time for thousands of commuters who use the route daily.
We served prior notices to all affected occupants and gave them enough time to relocate,” he said.
“This road is critical to Kumasi’s development.
We cannot allow unauthorised structures to delay a project that will benefit the entire city, enhance mobility and boost the local economy,” he stated.
While indicating that demolition would continue in phases over the weeks ahead, he cautioned traders and artisans not to return to the cleared areas, warning that offenders would be prosecuted.
The MCE mentioned that residents and motorists had long complained about heavy traffic, especially during peak hours, along the Santasi-Asokwa stretch and stated that the intervention by the government was to permanently address the situation.
“Once completed, the new dual-carriage road is expected to reduce travel time between Santasi, Ahodwo, Asokwa, and the Central Business District.
This will be a huge sigh of relief for the road users,” he said.
Affected residents
Hundreds of affected residents expressed their displeasure about the demolition exercise as it had deprived them of their source of livelihood while others complained that they were not given enough time to relocate.
Richard Ofori-Agyeman Boadi, Metropolitan Chief Executive for KMA, speaking to some of the affected residents
Some of them said “this is where we ply our trade to earn income to support our families. At least, we expected the assembly to provide us a place to relocate to before carrying out this exercise”.
Background
On October 2, 2025, the government signed a ¥3 billion (Japanese Yen) grant agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to overhaul the Inner Ring Road in Kumasi.
The Inner Ring Road is a critical artery linking the N6 and N8 within Kumasi and forming part of the Takoradi/Tema Ports–Ouagadougou Corridor.
Sadly, growth in traffic has turned sections of this road into bottlenecks, with congestion, delays, and safety risks for road users.
The road improvement project will widen the 3.2 km road between Santasi and Ahodwo roundabouts, upgrade intersections with modern traffic signals, enhance pedestrian walkways and drainage systems, and improve connectivity between the Santasi Roundabout and the N8.
When completed, travel speeds on this stretch are expected to more than triple, slashing journey times for commuters, while boosting efficiency for both passenger and freight transport.
