Kumasi Mayor orders closure of chop bar over sanitary concerns

Kumasi’s mayor has ordered the immediate closure of a food outlet in the city centre after an inspection linked its operations to what officials describe as a serious public health hazard.

Richard Ofori Agyemang-Boadi, the Mayor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), directed that Alpha and Omega Chop Bar at Krobo-Odumase, within the Central Business District, stop operating with immediate effect, citing major sanitation violations.

The mayor’s team moved in after an inspection detected what he described as a strong, offensive smell from an overflowing drain in the area — a situation he said posed health risks to traders, commuters and the wider public.

Subsequent checks, according to KMA officials, indicated that food waste linked to the chop bar had contributed to the blockage of drains.

The situation was compounded, the Assembly said, by a public toilet behind the premises which reportedly lacks a proper septic system, leading to effluent being discharged into the drainage network.

The mayor said the operators of the toilet facility, along with more than ten other shops accused of worsening the unsanitary conditions, have been summoned to court for allegedly operating without the required permits.

Mayor Ofori Agyemang-Boadi urged food vendors and sanitation operators across the metropolis to align their operations with environmental and public health rules, warning that enforcement will be stepped up.