The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is set to transform the city’s outdoor advertising landscape, with a planned shift from traditional static billboards to digital advertising boards from 2027.

The move is part of the Assembly’s efforts to bring order to the city’s advertising landscape and improve the aesthetics of major roads and public spaces.

Chief Executive, Richard Kwasi Ofori Boadi Agyemang, announced the policy direction during an engagement with some registered advertisers in the metropolis.

According to the mayor, the current outdoor advertising system has become increasingly disorganised, with different billboard sizes and haphazard placement along major roads.

This, he noted, obstructs motorists and pedestrians while undermining the aesthetic appeal of Kumasi.

“For a city to thrive, there must be order,” he noted.

The KMA intends to reduce the number of advertising boards, sanitise the system and ensure advertisers receive greater value for their investment, while creating a more attractive and orderly city.

As part of the new direction, the Assembly will issue guidelines on the number of advertising boards permitted along designated stretches, approved billboard sizes and designs, and specific requirements for major corridors and strategic locations.

These guidelines will cover areas including Airport Roundabout, Sofoline, Ahodwo and Bekwai Roundabout, with separate specifications for the Zoo, Kejetia and the Central Business District.

The MCE further emphasised that no billboards will be permitted along the Ahodwo–Santasi stretch until the ongoing road dualization project is completed.

“Over-aged, dilapidated billboards with outstanding payments will not be tolerated. Boards with unpaid bills will be removed in accordance with the Assembly’s earlier directive,” he added.

During the open forum, the advertisers raised concerns about the relocation of boards already removed from the Ahodwo–Santasi stretch, as well as questions regarding the proposed dimensions and approval processes.

The MCE assured them that the transition is not only about regulation but also about creating a modern advertising environment that gives brands better visibility.