The World Bank Country Director, Mr. Pierre Laporte has indicated that the World Bank is considering the construction of a multistory car park under a recently approved 180 million dollars to support the transportation system in Kumasi. He made this known in responds to a request by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. Simon Osei-Mensah to the world bank to provide financial support to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly to construct a multistory car park to ease congestion. The request was made when the World Bank Vice President for Africa Western and Central Region Mr. Ousmane Diagana and Mr. Pierre Laporte paid a courtesy call on the Ashanti Regional Minister as apart of a study tour of Kumasi on Friday July 1, 2022.
‘The World Bank as part of its initiatives is supporting about 20 programmes and projects in the country with the Ashanti Region being one of the key beneficiaries’, Mr. Diagana stated.
The study was to assess the viability and readiness of the Kumasi Metropolis for a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System towards lowering the problem of heavy traffic with the area.
Justifying the need for the Bus Rapid Transit System, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. Simon Osei-Mensah noted the initial idea of the new Kejetia Market Project has not been achieved due to vehicular congestion that persist. He added that the project has also attracted a lot of visitors to the Central Business District (CBD) as such there is the need to find a permanent solution, thus, the Bus Rapid Transit System is very necessary since it will assist in decongesting the CBD.