By: tntnewspapergh.com

The Presiding Member (PM) for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) in the Ashanti Region, Mr. Patrick Kwame Frimpong, has expressed his deepest sympathy to the victims of last Friday fire disaster at Adum in Kumasi.

He has, therefore, appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to fast-track the nomination of a mayor for KMA so as to speed up support for the victims to go back to their work.

According to him, most of the shops affected by the inferno belong to the Assembly, for which reason there is an urgent need to get a mayor for some actions to be taken to reconstruct the destroyed structures to get their tenants (traders) back to work.

Mr Patrick Kwame Frimpong

Mr. Frimpong, who doubles as the elected Assembly Member for the Krofrom East Electoral Area and National Vice-Chairman of NALAG, in an interview with “The New Trust” newspaper on Saturday, 22nd March 2025, cautioned that any further delay of nominating the mayor of the city to ensure some legal decisions by the Assembly could worsen the plight of the victims who have lost everything to the fire.

President John Mahama

Mr. Frimpong, who is also the Dean of Ashanti Regional Conference of Presiding Members Association, commended President Mahama and the Ashanti Regional Minister for their swift visits to sympathise with the victims.

He also commended the personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and other security agencies for quenching the fire.

He renewed his passionate appeal for the government to urgently equip the GNFS with the needed equipment and logistics to enable it to continue to deliver its mandate effectively.

It would be recalled that President Mahama visited the Central Business District of Adum to assess the effects of a devastating fire that destroyed hundreds of shops.

He emphasised the need for a swift action to assist those who have lost their livelihoods and called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire. The President also interacted with the fire victims.

The fire, which broke out in the early hours of Friday, March 21, destroyed hundreds of shops and items. The fire that quickly spread through the market was fuelled by flammable materials stored in the shops.

Firefighters faced challenges in containing the blaze due to obstructed access routes and delayed response times. Some traders blamed the incident on the ongoing power outages, which they believe might have contributed to the fire.

President Mahama’s visit was met with gratitude and cheers from the traders.