KMA boss' vision
The Chief Executive Officer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Mr Samuel Sarpong, has indicated that sanitation will remain a priority on his scale of preference.
Mr Sarpong, who received an overwhelming endorsement.by the assembly members of the KMA last week, said there was so much filth in the city that, there was the need for public-private participation in waste and sanitation management.
He stressed that the KMA sanitation laws and by-laws would be enforced, and called for public cooperation to be able to achieve this objective.
Aside sanitation, he mentioned security, congestion in the central business district (CBD) of Adum, street lighting, revenue generation, creation of a congenial atmosphere to attract investors, as well transparency as his other priority areas in the effort to develop the metropolis.
Mr Sarpong, who holds Executive Master's in Business Administration (EMBA) from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), said he would vigorously enforce law and order, safety and security in collaboration with the security agencies.
"Armed robbery shall be dealt with ruthlessly with the help of the security forces because development can only thrive in an environment of safety and security," he said.
He indicated that all satellite markets in the metropolis would be renovated in order to ease congestion at the city centre to allow for easy flow of traffic.
He said he would make personal efforts at unifying the people of Kumasi irrespective of their political affiliations, for the purposes of development.
"There shall, indeed, be no political vendetta", as stated by President John Evans Atta Mills.
"I envisage working closely with market queens in order to ensure sanity at the various markets," he said.
On revenue generation, Mr Sarpong said his administration would endeavour to improve revenue generation activities of the assembly.
"All untapped resources would be harnessed to generate revenue. Innovative ways would be adopted to increase revenue for the development of Kumasi through a research work that would be commissioned soon, "he said.
He said a congenial environment would be created to attract investors to Kumasi in particular and the Ashanti Region as a whole.
"I, therefore, intend to set up an investment desk which will seek to address all investment bottlenecks in the city, explore all avenues of investment and bring same to the knowledge of the investing public".
He thanked the assembly members for the confidence reposed in him by accepting him as the President's choice.
He said such maximum show of support was an indication that the assembly members had the interest and well-being of the people they were representing at heart.