The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga says the government plans to overhaul its market allocation and revenue collection strategy for the second phase of the Kumasi Central Market Redevelopment project, eliminating middleman exploitation and charging direct market rates to fund future expansions.

​Mr Ayariga announced the policy shift during a stakeholder engagement held at the project site on Sunday, September 20, 2026, criticising the practice of political insiders securing shops at subsidised rates and subletting them at exorbitant prices at the Kumasi Kejetia market.

​The Minister disclosed that evidence shows individuals acquiring allocated market stalls for GHS 25,000 and illegally subletting them to ordinary traders for up to GHS 120,000.

​"If GHS 100,000 is the market rate, the state should collect the GHS 100,000 and use the resources to construct Phase Three," Mr Ayariga said, adding, "we are going back to the days of Kalabule where because you have access to political power, you take the thing for yourself at GHS 25,000 and then sublet it to others at GHS 100,000”.

​He emphasised that because end-user traders are already paying inflated rates to intermediaries, paying market value directly to the state will not financially disadvantage them.

​Mr. Ayariga added that revenue generated from these direct allocations will fund Phase Three of the market without relying solely on external debt.

​The €248 million Kumasi Central Market Redevelopment project's second phase, financed through United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF), is currently 68 percent complete overall, according to lead consultant on the second phase of the project, Tony Yeboah Asare.

​A breakdown shows engineering at 99 percent, procurement at 83 percent, and physical construction at 68 percent.

​Work on the project had previously stalled due to the nation's debt exchange programme and the global suspension of foreign loans.

​"The contract sum is €248 million," Mr Asare stated, adding, "as of now, we've disbursed around €171 million. But there's an outstanding certificate of €32 million that the contractor has not received money for yet. So that is why the government is trying to sort it out with them so they can return to the site”.

​To resume construction, he said, the Ministry of Finance, the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) have agreed to combine leftover loan tranches with accumulated rental revenues from the second phase of the Kejetia market.

​To keep the second phase within budget, Mr. Asare stated that non-essential structural components such as connecting pedestrian bridges and surrounding road networks will be deferred and integrated into the third phase design.

​He estimated that physical completion of the second phase will take between 12 and 18 months once operations fully resume in October 2026.

For his part, ​Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, the Kumasi Mayor, stated that management and revenue collection at the second phase will be completely outsourced to an independent private entity with expertise in market administration.

​"When it comes to management and the collection of money, the Minister has taken it from the KMA," the Kumasi Mayor stated, also highlighting that "it will be outsourced to prevent past issues from recurring”.

​Under the new operational strategy of the second phase, the mayor emphasised, shop allocations will strictly rely on the original database of relocated traders and no pre-allocations will occur prior to total completion.

​Occupancy rates in the Kejetia market, Mr. Boadi stated, will be updated to reflect real market value rather than fixed five-year structures. 

He added that a firm deadline of December 31 2026 has been established for the market traders to clear outstanding premium arrears.

​"31st December 2026 is the deadline," he stated, urging "if we enter 1st January 2027 and you still owe even GHS 1, we will take over your shop”.

​Currently, he added, fewer than 40 percent of the Kejetia market occupants have paid their allocation premiums in full with some making nominal payments as low as GHS 2,800.

​To tackle the central business district traffic, he stated that the assembly will stagger commercial vehicle permits for the second phase, initially allowing 400 out of 600 approved vehicles for a three-to-six-month trial period.

​Concurrently, Mr. Boadi stated that construction on the long delayed Krofrom market will resume in October, which will also host long distanced bus terminals serving northern routes alongside a new transit cargo terminal near the Asafo Railway interchange.

​Dr Frank Amoakohene, the Ashanti Regional Minister, also assured that the project will be completed to allow traders to return to their businesses, emphasising that work will resume in October 2026.

He stated that the President aims to finish the project and allocate the shops before the election season to avoid political interference.

​Dr Amoakohene advised traders, particularly those living abroad, not to pay anyone promising to secure shops in the second phase of the Central Market Redevelopment project, urging them to reclaim their money if they had already made such payments.

​Some traders and drivers praised the engagement, urging the government to outsource the management of the second phase to a private entity—specifically the construction firm building the market.

​They also called for their leadership to be involved in shop allocations to ensure rightful traders receive shops upon completion.

​They also expressed concern about the new premium payment the government will collect at the kejetia market, suggesting the government should allow monthly payment options.

​Drivers also lamented that the 600 loading space allocation in Phase Two is insufficient for their growing fleet, hence appealed to the authorities to reconsider since they currently operate over 3,000 commercial vehicles.