A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) communication team in the Ashanti Region has challenged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to name a project in the region that surpasses the Kejetia Market in scale, defending the NDC’s development record in what has traditionally been the NPP’s stronghold.
Speaking on Angel FM in Kumasi, Mr. Justice Prempeh said the NDC under former President John Dramani Mahama delivered landmark infrastructure that the NPP’s eight years in office could not match in the region.
“I challenge the NPP to come and name a single project in the Ashanti Region that’s bigger than the Kejetia Market built by President John Mahama,” he said.
The Kejetia Market redevelopment, one of the largest market infrastructure projects in West Africa, was executed during the Mahama administration and has since become a central reference point in NDC’s case for its development credentials in a region it has long struggled to win electorally.
Mr. Prempeh also cited the construction of the eye centre at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi as further evidence of the NDC’s commitment to the region. “The eye centre at the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital was also built by John Dramani Mahama,” he said.
Addressing the broader political dynamic, he argued that the NDC has been the party most attentive to the needs of Ashanti residents. “I am telling the people of Ashanti Region that the only political party that thinks about you is the NDC,” he said.
Mr. Prempeh also turned his criticism on Members of Parliament who served the region under the NPP, alleging a failure to support a key healthcare initiative championed by Asantehene Otumfuor Osei Tutu II. “We had 43 MPs in the region and our Chief, Otumfuor, wanted just 5 million dollars to help renovate the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, but none were able to help,” he said.
The NPP has previously pushed back against NDC’s characterisation of the Kejetia project, with former Ashanti Regional Minister Simon Osei Mensah describing it in 2024 as an ill-conceived investment that created traffic and parking problems in central Kumasi. The NPP has also pointed to its own infrastructure record in the region, including the construction of interchanges at Asafo, Asokwa, Sofoline, and the ongoing Suame Interchange.
The exchange reflects an intensifying battle for credibility in the Ashanti Region, where the NDC made notable electoral gains in the 2024 elections and has since sought to consolidate its standing ahead of future contests.
