Krofrom Market: Kumasi's Two-Decade Monument To Unfulfilled Promises

In the heart of Kumasi, Ghana's second-largest city and the traditional seat of the Ashanti Kingdom, stands a structure that has come to symbolise something far removed from the commerce it was built to serve. The Krofrom Market project, initiated in 2007, has sat uncompleted for nearly two decades a skeleton of steel and concrete that traders, residents, and successive governments have watched decay in real time.

A Market Turned Wasteland
What was once envisioned as a vibrant commercial hub for the people of Krofrom has instead become, in the words of those who live around it, a haunting symbol of broken promises. The old market structure was demolished to make way for redevelopment, but the replacement never materialized.

Over the years, the abandoned site has been overtaken by weeds, occupied by squatters, and linked to criminal activity, including drug use and armed robbery hideouts.

For a community that once depended on the market for its livelihood, the psychological and economic toll has been considerable. Traders displaced by the original demolition have spent years hawking along pavements and operating out of unsafe wooden structures, exposed to the elements and to running battles with municipal authorities over street trading.

One young resident, who told local reporters he had grown up watching the site remain unfinished, captured the generational frustration that now defines Krofrom: he was a child when the demolition happened, and by the time he reached adulthood, nothing had changed.

Promises Renewed
The project has become something of a political litmus test in Kumasi, invoked by successive administrations without a corresponding transfer of resources to the ground. In July 2025, President John Dramani Mahama, on a Thank-

You Tour of the Ashanti Region, inspected the site and pledged that Krofrom would be completed and fully operational by the end of 2026, folding it into his government's Market Enhancement Programme, which targets 18 markets nationwide for rehabilitation.

By September 2025, Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi announced that the project had been redesigned into a modern mall-class facility, with additional contractors brought on to accelerate the work.

Financial movement followed in early 2026: the Mayor disclosed that a procurement alert had been received and the project budget increased, while a legal dispute with the project's consultant was being resolved.

In May 2026, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) announced that GH¢100 million had been secured through the government's Social Investment Fund toward the project, against an estimated GH¢179 million still required to finish the work.

Skepticism on the Ground
Despite these announcements, progress at the site has remained visibly slow. As of May 2026, the market remained fenced and gated, with security presence but no active construction underway caterpillar machines parked but idle, and workers in contractor branding present without visible activity.

Traders interviewed by local broadcasters described the situation as inhumane, particularly during the rainy season, and voiced deepening scepticism toward a project that has outlived multiple election cycles and government transitions without delivering .

Some residents have gone as far as to suggest the project be handed to a private investor altogether, arguing that public sector delivery has failed the community for the better part of two decades .

A Wider Pattern
Krofrom Market's troubles are not unique in Kumasi's infrastructure story. The city's flagship Kejetia Phase II redevelopment the second stage of the wider Kumasi Central Market project has also stalled, halted in December 2022 amid the country's debt restructuring programme and non-payment of contractor certificates.

Traders at that site have similarly threatened protest action over the abandonment of a redevelopment they were promised years ago.

Taken together, the two stalled projects illustrate a broader challenge facing Ghana's urban commercial infrastructure: ambitious market redevelopment schemes launched with fanfare, only to be derailed by financing gaps, contractor disputes, and shifting political priorities, leaving traders to absorb the cost in lost income and unsafe working conditions.

The Road Ahead
Whether the December 2026 completion deadline holds remains to be seen. The KMA's recent funding disclosure and the resumption of some site activity mark the most tangible movement on the project in years, but Krofrom's history is one of announcements that have repeatedly outpaced delivery.

For the traders who have spent decades waiting, the measure of success will not be another site visit or pledge, but bricks, mortar, and stalls they can finally call their own.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. ( USIP)

Mustysallama@gmail.com
+233555275880
References
Citi Newsroom. "'We'll complete Krofrom market by 2026' Mahama tells traders." July 16, 2025. https://citinewsroom.com/2025/07/well-complete-krofrom-market-by-2026-mahama-tells-traders/

MyJoyOnlineMyJoyOnline. "From Marketplace to Misery: Traders dilemma of stalled Krofrom Market and decongestion of Kumasi CBD." April 22, 2025. https://www.myjoyonline.com/from-marketplace-to-misery-traders-dilemma-of-stalled-krofrom-market-and-decongestion-of-kumasi-cbd/

Adomonline.com. "Traders lament slow pace of Krofrom market reconstruction after recent project resumption." May 20, 2026. https://www.adomonline.com/traders-lament-slow-pace-of-krofrom-market-reconstruction-after-recent-project-resumption/

Ghanaweb. "'Krofrom Market will be completed by 2026' - President Mahama assures." July 16, 2025. https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Krofrom-Market-will-be-completed-by-2026-President-Mahama-assures-1992003

Citi Newsroom, op. cit.
News Ghana. "Stalled Ghana Market Gets Mall Redesign After 18 Years." September 6, 2025. https://www.newsghana.com.gh/stalled-ghana-market-gets-mall-redesign-after-18-years/

MyJoyOnlineMyJoyOnline. "Decade-old Krofrom Market project set for completion by year-end 2026." January 28, 2026. https://www.myjoyonline.com/decade-old-krofrom-market-project-set-for-completion-by-year-end-2026/

Adomonline.com. "Ayariga inspects stalled Kejetia Phase II, Krofrom Market projects." August 2026. https://www.adomonline.com/ayariga-inspects-stalled-kejetia-phase-ii-krofrom-market-projects/

Graphic Online. "Kumasi Central Market traders to protest over abandoned redevelopment project." April 8, 2024. https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-news-kumasi-central-market-traders-to-protest-over-abandoned-redevelopment-project.html

GBC Ghana Online. "Government reaffirms commitment to complete Kejetia Phase II, Takoradi Market Circle projects." May 7, 2026. https://www.gbcghanaonline.com/general/kejetia-takoradi-markets/2026/

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