Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has debunked claims the Akufo-Addo led administration has abandoned projects in the Ashanti Region.
According to him, these accusations against the reigning New Patriotic Party (NPP) prove to be unfair, and an attempt to undervalue the “significant infrastructural impact that has been witnessed since we resumed power as government.”
Speaking at the Minister’s Press Briefing organised by the Ministry of Information in Accra on Wednesday, August 25, he highlighted some “Legacy Projects” under the Akufo-Addo government currently ongoing and some near completion.
“There are some legacy projects and we have the Airport expansion project which is projected to be completed by the end of the month. But after my last visit, I doubt they can do it. Maybe we’ll look at somewhere in October. But whatever the situation is, this project will be completed by the end of this year and we’ll start receiving international flights. That is where we will talk about Kumasi International Airport not airport by nomenclature. Just changing the signboard and putting international airport there as airport. This will be rare airport that will receive international flights and that will meet international standards,” he shared.
He also disclosed the construction of accommodation, equipped with ancillary facilities for the Judiciary Service in the region as he described this as “the first time I’ve seen this in the country and many people are not aware of it.”
“We have four bedroom flats for Appeal Court Judges in Kumasi. It just shares boundaries with the regional coordinating council where my office is. The contractor has been very fast and just in about a year and three months, he’s ahead of the projected time of completion. You have the 20 plus outer house maybe for support staff or something. Then we have some ancillary facilities like tennis court, swimming pools, office for a place where they can relax and all these are included in this project. Beside this one for the Appeal court judges is another of 20 different accommodation blocks. We have other 12 flats, there are two blocks of flats and each of them has six for lower level staff of the judiciary. These are also some legacy projects the government can leave for the people of the Ashanti region,” he added.
Mr. Osei Mensah furthered that the Phase II of the Kejetia Central Market is currently underway and pledged to resolve the congestion in the area.