KMA TO ZOO GARDENS RESCUE (SHOWBIZ, PAGE 3, JAN 28, 2010)

By George Ernest Asare

THE ineffective drainage system at the Kumasi Zoological Gardens which causes periodic flooding undermining tourist attraction has become a major concern to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and the Management and Board of Governors of the Zoo.
According to the management of the zoo, drains from Mbrom, Bantama and Race Course among other suburbs in the metropolis, converge at the Gardens which is a lowland area causing erosion and creating big gullies .
Consequently, the KMA has resolved to collaborate with the Ministry of Works and Housing to reconstruct the drainage system to make the zoo more attractive to enhance tourism.
Aside the poor drainage, the zoo also faces a number of challenges such as the menace of hawkers who have made the zoo their dumping ground, activities of some miscreants who defecate there with impunity and erosion which is threatening infrastructure development.
But for the above mentioned problems, the Gardens which was adjudged the best tourist centre in Ghana barely a year ago, would have maintained its position.
The Chief Executive of KMA, Mr Samuel Sarpong when he paid a fact finding mission to the Gardens pointed out that the place needed a facelift to improve its infrastructure to make the place more attractive to both local and foreign tourists.
“ The drainage is not the best. Tourists centres should be attractive to market them to potential tourists, but this is not what I found when I visited the Gardens. I am going to get in touch with the Ministry of Works and Housing for us to map out a strategy to revamp the Gardens and bring it to a standard that would make it more attractive to tourists and boost the potentials of the place” he assured.
He said the facelift of the Gardens is important because “ it is part of our development agenda to sustain tourist attraction in the metropolis”
He debunked the assertion that the Kumasi Zoological Gardens should be relocated , saying “ this is one of the few assets we have so far as tourism is concerned in the metropolis, and nothing would compel us to relocate it. It will not be in our interest”, he noted.
The maiden visit of the Kumasi Mayor to the Gardens became necessary when the Manager of the Zoo, Mr E.D Nimoh, together with the Board of Governors paid a courtesy call on Mr Sarpong a week earlier.
The visit was to congratulate him on his appointment and also discuss some of the challenges militating against the efficient operations of the zoo.
On his part, Mr Nimo expressed concern about the poor drainage system at the garden and said “the area becomes easily flooded at the least rainfall, making it impossible for us to operate effectively”
He pointed out that “traders and miscreants have not only made the place a dumping ground, but also defecate indiscriminately, creating offensive odour that pollute the air “and therefore appealed to the Kumasi Mayor to extend the decongestion exercise to the Gardens as a way of warding off intruders”.
Mr Nimo said the Board was planning to launch a fund raising ceremony to solicit financial support from the public to enable them undertake a massive facelift at the Gardens.
He therefore appealed to the Mayor to support them in that endeavour to make the fund raising ceremony a success.