Kumasi Central Market (also known as Kejetia Market) is an open-air market located in Kumasi, Ghana. The Kejetia market is West Africa’s largest single market. There are over 10,000 shops and kiosks there.
The government devised a well-thought-out rehabilitation plan for the entire Kejetia market area in response to the uninvited development of unregulated humming of salespersons and many fire outbreaks. The redevelopment was carried out in three stages.
The first phase of the reconstruction began in 2015, with the government of John Dramani Mahama estimating a cost of US$259,425,000. The first phase of the project comprised an ultra-modern market with 8,420 retailers, a clinic, a police station, a masjid (mosque), a social and recreational center, an information and communication technology center, a post office, a fire station, banks, a butchery, and a day-care center. In late 2018, it was completed.
On the 2nd of May, 2019, Nana Addo Dankwah and Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene cut the sod for the phase two redevelopment of the Kumasi Central Market, allowing work to begin. Phase two is expected to cost $248 million and will be funded by Deutsche Bank of Germany with a credit guarantee from UK Export Finance. It will be finished in 48 months.
When finished, the market will contain 6500 commercially leased businesses, 5,400 closed stores, 800 kiosks, 50 restaurants, 40 livestock stores, 210 fishmonger and butcher spaces, and 1,800 square meters of communal facilities. It is anticipated to cover 172,197 square meters in total.
The massive human and vehicular traffic in and around the Kejetia market makes managing and enforcing the law extremely challenging. The construction of a city guard organization is one of the strategies used to maintain peace and order in the area. The members of the group serve as the law enforcement authorities for the Kejetia market. They are in charge of basic traffic control, anti-hawking actions, and so on. They do, however, refer all crimes outside of their jurisdiction to the Kejetia Police Department, which has a station in the market. The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, in collaboration with market managers Freko FD Ltd, put CCTV cameras around the market in 2010 to improve security at the station. The move was supposed to crack down on vandals who operate in the Kumasi Central Market, PZ-Adum, the Zoological Gardens, and the surrounding regions.
Historically, fire breakouts have been a problem in the Kejetia market. Several outbreaks have occurred in the market, resulting in the destruction of stores, stalls, and their merchandise. On September 19, 2001,[9] a blazing shower of fire demolished over 150 stores at the ancient Kejetia market, causing an outbreak. The cost of the objects destroyed was difficult to calculate. Illegal electrical connections made by workers for a private developer were blamed for the incident.
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