KMA members want EOCO, NIB & other state institutions to investigate the unfair distribution of streetlights to electoral areas
By: tntnewspapergh com
The members of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) have passed a resolution to demand a full-scale investigation into the unfair distribution of streetlights to electoral areas across the country.
The members are not taking it lightly after their preliminary investigation revealed that instead of 65,000 streetlights meant for the Ashanti region, available records show that only 45,000 were released.And instead of the 40 electoral areas in the 5 sub-metros within KMA getting about 12,000 streetlights, some of the electoral areas didn’t even get a single streetlight.
What sparked the members most to pass a resolution to invite the investigative agencies to conduct a full-scale investigation to trace the whereabouts of their fair share of the streetlights was that, apart from Bantama sub-metro, out of the five (5) sub-metros within the same KMA, where some electoral areas received fifty (50) streetlights, other electoral areas within the same assembly had between five (5) and ten (10) streetlights, and other electoral areas didn’t even benefit from a single streetlight.
The members passed the resolution during the 2nd ordinary meeting of the 2nd session of the 9th Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) held on Monday, 27th and Tuesday, 28th October, 2025, at Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi. Speaking to “The New Trust” newspaper after the resolution, Mr Patrick Kwame Frimpong, the Presiding Member (PM) for the Assembly, who doubles as the longest-serving elected member for the Krofrom East electoral area, explained that Prefos Limited and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), through the Energy Ministry, decided to fix street lights in the various electoral areas in all the District Assemblies across the country. And KMA, having 40 electoral areas with five (5) sub-metros, was supposed to get their fair share of the streetlights. But per their assessment, they realised that only small street lights came to the Assembly. Mr Frimpong said, ‘Our investigation revealed that, apart from Bantama sub-metro, out of the five (5) sub-metros within the same KMA, where some electoral areas received fifty (50) streetlights, other electoral areas had between five (5) and ten (10) streetlights, and some electoral areas didn’t even benefit from a single streetlight.’
The Assembly members have, therefore, resolved to write to petition the Energy Ministry and Local Government Ministry, respectively, to investigate the unfair distribution of the streetlights. Besides, the Assembly members have also resolved to write to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the National Investigation Bureau (NIB), formerly BNI, to also conduct a full-scale investigation for them to know the whereabouts of the remaining streetlights meant for electoral areas within KMA.According to KMA PM, the Ashanti region was supposed to get about 65,000 streetlights, and only 45,000 out of the number per record had been released.”Our investigation further revealed that, when you go to other district assemblies, 300 streetlights were fixed at each electoral area, but the story at KMA is different because the electoral areas didn’t benefit the same. By simple calculation, if each electoral area were to get 300 streetlights, KMA, with 40 electoral areas, would be supposed to have gotten 12,000 streetlights, but unfortunately, some electoral areas didn’t even get a single streetlight,” he added. Mr Frimpong said when they detected the anomaly, they decided to write to ECG to come and explain to them what happened, but ECG officials in their response indicated that, since the contract was signed by the Energy Ministry and Prefos Limited, they (ECG) couldn’t provide any explanation to the Assembly.
