Hon. Richard Ofori-Agyeman Boadi, the Mayor of Kumasi, is living up to the public hype by operationalizing his vision and plans to put the city in appreciable shape.

Prior to holding office, he had overwhelming endorsement from Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, party executives, and others who could vouch for his competence.

Since assuming office as Mayor in May, he has spearheaded several activities, including the decongestion of Central Business Districts (CBDs), enforcement of approved transport fares, security, and warding off encroachers on public school lands.

There have been spot repairs on potholes on roads, particularly in the CBDs, maintenance of traffic lights, and smoother passage of vehicles on busy roads, among others.

Regardless of his admission of deficit in tackling daunting sanitation challenges in Kumasi, in the face of over 120M debt portfolio of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), there has been slight improvement.

Promptly, the building of a buffer welded mesh in WAEC drainage to separate solid waste from liquid waste is being initiated to address the danger it poses to inhabitants during heavy rainfall.

It’s common knowledge that communities along the WAEC drainage have witnessed flooding caused by the blockage of solid waste in the drainage whenever it rains heavily in Kumasi.

To ensure he operationalizes his duties and achieves desired results, on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, Hon. Ofori-Agyeman Boadi made a surprise tour to some locations in the city.

Primarily, his intention was to have firsthand information about prevailing conditions after issuing directives and putting a number of measures in place under his leadership.

The areas he visited include a thoroughfare road at Abinkyi, Adehyee Market, Apagyafie Intersection, and Alabar drainage.

At Abinkyi, where a thoroughfare had been blocked by Tonket Company Limited, the Mayor requested structural permits and other documentation for scrutiny before Monday.

Failure to comply with his directive would result in the blockage, which has denied public access to the thoroughfare, he assured would be removed the next day.

The Local Governance Act of 2016, Act 936, dictates that no person shall carry out physical development without prior written approval from the District Spatial Planning Authority.

At Adehyee Market, the Mayor observed an overflow of waste that had eventually eroded a stretch of the road due to poor drainage.

He directed that traders on the slabs and pavement from the MTN intersection to Adehyee Market be relocated for at least a day to allow for a thorough assessment of the drainage and find a lasting solution to the problem.

Urban Roads Director Kumasi Metro, Ing. Nana Atta Poku, recommended that the eroded stretch of the road should be scarified, and the base rebuilt.

Sanity and order have almost been restored in the areas visited, but for pockets of challenges, which instructed his operational team to tackle within a specified timeframe.

With the Mayor during his surprise tour were Metro Coordinating Director, Mr. Francis Dwira Darko, some heads of departments and units, security operatives, and metro guards.

BY Thomas Awuah Asem

Kumasi