Stakeholders have finally approved and initiated the implementation of a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP), to alleviate traffic congestion and improve transportation in Kumasi and its peripheral municipalities,
The project is backed by funding from the French Development Agency (AFB) and is the result of extensive research and community consultations since 2021.
Among the highlights of the plan were public transport enhancement and improvement of non-motorized transport. Experts are calling on the government and donor agencies to ensure the full implementation of this set of plans.
“What we have done is feasible. The problem is the implementation”, Dr William Ackaah Head of the Transportation Engineering Division at the Building and Road Research Institute, CSIR.
“This is not the first development plan that has been initiated. There have been several plans of this nature which has yet to be followed”.
“We should have these components to make our transportation and to prevent us from being obese. This will prevent vehicles from polluting the environment, and if we can do this, we shall have a sustainable transport system”, he added.
Available research indicates that Kumasi will experience huge population growth and urban sprawl, forecasting some 4.2 million inhabitants by 2030. This, experts say, could cause a strong competition for urban space and increase travel lengths and times.
But the Country Director for Ghana and Liberia French Development Agency, Dr Christope Cottet believes the SUMP would be a “game changer”. He was hopeful that city authorities would ensure its sustainable implementation.
Reporting by Jonathan Ofori in the Ashanti Region
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