The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has urged architects in the metropolis to collaborate with the assembly to initiate projects that will transform structures at the Central Business District (CBD) at Adum and other strategic areas in Kumasi into first-class business centres.
According to the KMA, the collaboration with architects in transforming Kumasi into a viable business centre would not only enhance income generation by the private sector in particular and the Assembly in general, but would also reduce unemployment among the youth considerably, thereby raising the standard of living among residents.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Engineer, Mr Alex Kwame Boateng, who threw the challenge, expressed concern about the nature of structures at the CBD and other business centres, saying, they do not promote effective and efficient business activities.
He explained that with well-designed plans, dwarf structures spread across the CBD could be developed into shopping malls to accommodate varieties of business ventures and also beautify the metropolis .
“The time has come for architects in the metropolis to collaborate effectively with the KMA for us to design and put up structures that reflect modern trend in doing business. This will not only enhance income generation for the ;private sector to expand their businesses, but would also enhance employment avenues for the youth who migrate daily from the peripheries into Kumasi to look for job opportunities” he stressed.
Addressing the Northern Chapter of the Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA) in Kumasi during their end-of-year dinner and awards night in Kumasi , Mr Kwame Boateng noted that architects play important roles that promote healthy environment in doing business.
He said with the challenges of congestion that confront business operatives at the CBD in Adum, “we hope you will readily come on board for us to address such challenges by coming out with well-designed plans that would transform the area into a first class business centre”.
In all , five architects from the Northern Sector whose work have impacted positively on the profession were rewarded
The award winners were the Kumasi Metropolitan Director of Town and Country Planning, Mr Asiedu Poku, Mr Daniel Amoateng Mensah of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology( KNUST); Mr Foster Lewellyn Adonteng, Mr S.O Larbi and Professor J. Owusu Addo.
Each of them was presented with a plague and a citation that goes with the various roles they played in promoting the values of the profession and encouraging the young ones to emulate their shinning examples.
Commending the award winners for their meritorious services, Mr Kwame Boateng noted “the KMA is more determined than ever to bring sanity into the CBD and encourage business transaction at the outskirts of the metropolis”.
He said since migration into the urban centres also created slums, to the detriment of healthy environmental promotion, the onus lay on architects to collaborate with the assembly to prevent the development of slums in the metropolis.
He said it was equally important for Architects to support the Assembly in its effort to develop lorry parks to reduce the problems of unauthorised parking of vehicles in parts of the metropolis.
“ Your value is not how much money you can make , but how many problems you can solve, and in helping us to address the numerous problems that confront us, you would also be helping to address the unemployment problems confronting us “ he noted.
In his welcoming address, the President of the Northern Chapter of GIA, Mr Ekow Sampson said their aim was to promote best practices to create the requisite atmosphere in the built environment.
He pointed out that the annual events offer them the platform to “deliberate on our achievements and failures as professionals to enable us as an institute to chart a new course towards the development of architecture”.
He commended the KMA for initiating the decongestion but expressed concern about the poor urban and architectural designs in the metropolis. .
“ We are concerned about the haphazard and uncontrolled development in the CBD .. Basic amenities like fire hydrants, street furniture and dustbins are also lacking , and it is indeed sad to mention that most of the commercial banks in the CBD, for instance lack toilet facilities for their clients who transact business with them” he noted.
Mr Sampson gave the assurance that the GIA was ready to collaborate with all metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the northern part of Ghana “ in the development of sustainable urban planning and architectural schemes to make Ghana a better place “.
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