Mr John Ansu Kumi, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive has refuted claims that the construction of an urban development park, under the implementation of the phase three of the Secondary City Support Project in the Sunyani Municipality has slowed down as reported in the media.
Rather, the contractors executing the project were worried about the practice of Open Defecation among some residents around the work site, Mr Kumi told the media in an interview in Sunyani.
Under the project, an ancient heap of refuse dump at the Sunyani Area Two had been evacuated, however, the contractors working on the project said they were unhappy some residents around had turned the project site into a place of convenience.
Hitherto, criminal activities were common around the refuse dump site
area, as the area enclave served as a den for criminals, mostly engaged in drug abuse and peddling.
The implementation of the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) credit project, which started in 2019, and spans a period of five years, is part of the Government’s broader urban development and decentralisation projects in Ghana.
It would help to strengthen local systems and provide the necessary support to the municipal assemblies for effective urban management and service delivery.
Under the third phase, Sunyani is benefiting from a three-acre landfill reclamation urban park development, a 500-meter storm drain,
and a 1.4-kilometer access road.
However, during an inspection visit to the project site at the Sunyani Area Two, the contractors appealed to the Sunyani city authorities to help end the OD practice at the project site to enable them to speed up.
Mr Kumi and other stakeholders visited the site to assess the level of work and inspired the contractors to speed up for the project to be completed and handed-over for use.
Nonetheless, they promised to deliver quality work, complete and hand-over in August 2024, as scheduled.
Excavation works, including clearing and construction of a huge steel bridge, were ongoing on the 1.4-kilometre access road linking Petra Hotel and Sunyani Estate to the Sunyani Jubilee Park area.
Mr Kumi said he was satisfied with the progress of work and commended the contractors for quality work and assured the Municipal Assembly would put in place stringent measures to control the OD practice at the site.
He further warned residents against the bad and insanitary practice, saying “we are all going to benefit and we all must come together and end the OD practice for our own good”.