<<Print>>

The Kumasi Children's Park (KCP), which lies at a strategic location at Amakom in the Kumasi Metropolis in the Ashanti Region, has been abandoned for some time now. It occupies 15-acres of land and has, since its establishment in 1980, been used to create recreational activities for children in the Kumasi Metropolis. The KCP has a library, toilet and urinal facilities. What used to give the KCP an edge over other recreational sites was its football pitch and playground with a merry-go-round. Now the park is where encroachers and hooligans operate from and it is in a deplorable state. Football The KCP has over the years not been utilised profitably, having been used rather as a football pitch for clubs in the metropolis. In the past, activities of clubs which visited the premises were supervised but now they use the site without any supervision and care. The premises of the KCP are so deplorable that football clubs that use the pitch of the KCP need not seek permission. Hooligans The KCP has recently been a hideout for hooligans, posing a threat to residents living nearby and passers-by. Drug peddlers and users use the premises for selling and smoking to the detriment of children or members of the public who go there to seek peace and calm. The lack of control has made the drug peddlers so influential that the park has lost its serene atmosphere. Again, the KCP has in recent times been a hideout for thieves in the area. Since the KCP lies in the vicinity of the Kumasi-Accra main road at Amakom, there are a number of passers-by and most of them are robbed of their belongings. After robbing their victims, the robbers quickly run to hide on the premises of the KCP and no one dares run after them as they can be attacked again. Footpath With its strategic location, the KCP is used by residents in the area as a shortcut to link Amakom and its adjourning areas to the Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI), the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) and Workers� College. Other academic centres at Amakom which are close to the KCP are the Ghana Baptist University College (GBUC), Kumasi Polytechnic, Kumasi Anglican Senior High School, Grace Baptist Church and the Amakom Adventist MA Basic School. Residents walking from Amakom to Akwatia Line and Aswasi also use the park as a shortcut, making the KCP footpath a preferable choice. Previously, the KCP was an enclosed area and barred to all passers-by, except authorised users of the park but its dilapidated infrastructure, including fencing, has resulted in the opening of the place to the public. A place meant for entertainment and education of children for their development is now in a poor state. Church activities Some portions of the premises of the KCP are being used for church activities. Had it not been for the football pitch, the whole KCP would have been a worship centre by now. Department of Children/ Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection In diverse ways, the Ashanti Regional Office of the Department of Children tried to restore the KCP but did not succeed. It is worth recalling that the land on which the KCP is situated is a gift from Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, who is now deceased, to the Department of Children but unfortunately, there is no documentation to that effect. The department quickly developed the land and the KCP attracted most children in the Kumasi Metropolis and even beyond for social activities, particularly in mid-199os until its near-collapse in 2007. However, it was not until 2009 that the department and the then Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, came together in an effort to redevelop the KCP. While planning for that in the same year (2009), a letter from Manhyia indicated that the KCP land had been entrusted into the hands of the Otumfuo Charity Foundation under the leadership of Her Royal Ladyship, Julia Osei Tutu, wife of Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. That notwithstanding, the acting Ashanti Regional Director of the Department of Children, Mr Stephen Ofosu Darfour, is optimistic that the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, would be committed to redeveloping the KCP. Some concerned public members are of the view that the department/ministry and the Otumfuo Charity Foundation should collaborate for the redevelopment of the KCP and additionally use the park as a social centre for funerals, naming and wedding ceremonies and other such events to help generate revenue. Again, the redeveloped KCP should have facilities for hiring for the organisation of press conferences. The onus now lies on the Otumfuo Charity Foundation to, as a matter of urgency, work closely with the ministry to save the KCP from dying.