The Mayor of Kumasi, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, has defended his controversial comments regarding the use of corporal punishment against traders defying the city's pavement trading ban.
Speaking in an interview on Citi FM on April 15, 2025, Boadi insisted that his threat to flog non-compliant traders was a drastic but necessary measure to enforce discipline and restore order in the city. "I don't believe in using the police for decongestion because I will spend so much on them, and after that, we'll get back to the status quo," citinewsroom.com quoted him to have said.
He added that previous enforcement strategies had failed to yield lasting results, prompting a more aggressive stance.
The remarks come ahead of a two-week decongestion exercise set to begin on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, which will target unauthorized trading activities along pavements and public spaces in Kumasi's Central Business District. "Some traders are in the middle of the road cooking and selling all kinds of food.
