The Mayor of Kumasi, Hon. Richard Ofori-Agyeman Boadi, has taken a tough stance against the rampant encroachment on public school lands in the metropolis, ordering the immediate eviction of all unauthorized occupants.
The directive follows a shocking discovery during the Mayor’s ongoing inspection tour of public basic schools, which commenced on Tuesday, July 30, 2025. The tour, intended to assess the state of infrastructure and improve teaching and learning conditions, turned into a revelation of what the Mayor described as “a national embarrassment and a disgrace to education.”
At nearly every school visited, Hon. Boadi and his entourage were confronted with disturbing scenes: school lands overtaken by squatters, traders, mechanics, churches, and drug peddlers, some operating just steps away from classrooms filled with innocent children.
The Mayor, visibly alarmed, immediately issued a no-tolerance directive, ordering personnel from the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the Physical Planning Department, and the Works Department of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to move in and evict all encroachers without delay. “We cannot allow schools to become marketplaces and ghettos,” the Mayor fumed. “It is unacceptable that children are trying to learn while surrounded by filth, noise, and illegal activity. This madness ends now.”
The Mayor emphasized that school lands are public properties legally designated for education, not for trade, settlement, or religious gatherings. He warned that any individual or organization found squatting on school property would be removed forcefully and, where necessary, prosecuted.
Hon. Boadi’s inspection team included Mr. Francis Dwira Darko, Metro Coordinating Director; Mr. David Oppong, Metro Director of Education; as well as senior officers from various departments of the Assembly and the Ghana Education Service (GES).
Schools visited during the tour included:
Asem Cluster of Schools
Amankwatia Cluster of Schools
Dichemso M/A Cluster of Schools
State Boys Cluster of Schools
State Girls M/A and Junior High School
Bantama Methodist Primary School
New Bantama M/A Primary School
In all locations, the Mayor and his team were warmly received by headteachers, teachers, assembly members, and community stakeholders, who expressed frustration over the long-standing encroachment problems.
Many educators described how noise pollution, poor sanitation, and security threats from outsiders have severely impacted academic work. In some cases, headteachers reported that they had repeatedly complained to authorities with no results, as the number of encroachers kept increasing year after year.
Some of the encroachers were reported to have established permanent structures, including kiosks, welding workshops, and church tents, while others used the premises for drug-related activities and open defecation.
In response, the Mayor assured school authorities that swift action would follow, and that the Assembly was committed to protecting school environments from further abuse.
A public notice was also issued, cautioning all encroachers — including religious bodies, mechanics, traders, and squatters — to vacate the premises immediately or face forcible eviction without compensation. “Education is a fundamental pillar of our development. We must secure the space and safety required for learning,” Hon. Boadi stressed.
The Mayor also hinted at long-term measures, including the erection of security fencing around school compounds and enhanced collaboration with the Ghana Police Service to monitor and protect school lands.
The firm action taken by the Kumasi Mayor has been widely praised by residents, parents, and education advocates, who have described it as a much-needed intervention to restore dignity to the city’s educational infrastructure.
