The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is to embark on a number of business development plans to enable it benefit fully from the investment potentials associated with the Millennium Cities International (MCI). The KMA was chosen as a millennium city by the MCI in 2006. Plans initiated by the assembly involved re-development of the 18 satellite markets to decongest the Central Business District of the metropolis. This was contained in a paper presented to a joint meeting of delegation from Almere City in Netherlands and business groups on the Kumasi economy and its investment potentials in Kumasi on Wednesday. The presentation was led by Mrs Lucy Owusu-Ansah, the Metropolitan Planning Officer. Other major plans for the business development are highway and bulk breaking markets to be developed to augment the stock of market infrastructure in the metropolis. It is also considering the creation of land banks for industrial estates and the organization of business fairs, fora and investment tours. The presentation touched on areas of co-operation and assistance and stressed that the KMA was working on an information and communication management system for city administration. It said it was also building capacity in city management, waste management, traffic control and urban planning while efforts were also being made to assist entrepreneurial development and promotion of micro-enterprises and business as well as exchange programme for students. It said the KMA faces a lot of challenges which included low-spirit of voluntarism and limited popular participation in decision-making and unavailability of land and other infrastructure for business development. “The assembly was also confronted with low revenue generation, inadequate personnel and equipment”, it said. Touching on sanitation, the City Planning Unit said 500,000 tons of solid waste is generated daily in the metropolis and that out of it, 60 percent are collected and sent to landfill while 40 percent are dumped in the open refuse collection points or burnt by the residents. Mrs Annemarie Jaristma, Mayor of Almere Municipality, who expressed appreciation of the development plan, said they were prepared to assist the city to achieve its objectives. Source: GNA