Sokoban Wood Market too small for us- Anloga Carpenters

The Concerned Carpenters Association under the umbrella of the Anloga Carpenters' Association in Kumasi is intending to demonstrate against the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) for not impressing on contractors to speed up work on the Sokoban Wood Village Project to relocate them.

According to the members of the Association, work at the Sokoban Village Project involving the construction of sheds, administration block, provision of water and electricity were yet to be completed.

At an emergency meeting of the Association in Kumasi at the weekend, Mr Francis Kwami Djokoto, Organiser of the Association complained that the site was too small to accommodate the over one thousand wood workers.

He said there would be congestion and it would affect the activities and smooth operation of the carpenters as their customers would find it difficult to come to them to do business.

The members of the Anloga Carpenters' Association were supposed to be relocated from the Anloga Junction to the Sokoban Wood Village Project Site on October 27, 2008, as a result of the construction of the Oforikrom bypass, which has just taken off.

The carpenters contended that the period given to them to relocate was too short and that, there was the need for authorities to give them a grace period to adequately prepare for their relocation especially as Christmas was just around the corner.

Togbega Mawupeame Fugah, Patron of the Anloga Carpenters Association, who was present at the meeting, however, impressed on the members to exercise restraint as he was liaising with the city authorities to address their concerns.

A recent tour of the site by the KMA Chief Executive, Madam Patricia Appiagyei and some Assembly members as well as media personnel, revealed that about 90 percent of the constructional work at the Wood Village was completed and ready for occupancy.

All essentials needed at the Village such as electricity, water and others have been provided to make the industrial estate habitable by the workers.

Some few internal road networks and drains, which Madam Appiagyei asked the contractors to expedite work on, was what left.

The KMA acquired the land at Sokoban with the view to developing it into a modern wood Village for woodworkers in Kumasi.

The Project has facilities such as access roads, internal roads, shed and stores, an administrative block and a modern car park.

The construction of the Kumasi Western bypass (Oforikrom-Asokwa bypass), which passes through the present settlement of the Anloga Wood Workers, has made it necessary to relocate about 5000 wood workers at Anloga to the Sokoban Wood Village.