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Mr Osei Assibey-Antwi, Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has stressed the need for effective collaboration between the assembly and the private sector to speed up infrastructural development in the city.

Mr Assibey Antwi, made the call at a Public-Private Partnership training workshop on Governance of Inclusive Green Growth in Cities Program, held in Kumasi.

It was organized by the KMA in partnership with VNG International, a Municipality in the Hague, Netherlands, as part of efforts to contribute to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, which seeks to make cities and human settlements inclusive, resilient and sustainable, using PPP as sustainable financial tool.

The training programme was aimed at sharpening the knowledge and skills of participants on PPPs and also creating opportunities for them to sharpen their experience on PPP initiatives.

The Government, Mr Osei Assibey said, had adopted PPP to help foster infrastructural development to meet the rapid urbanization growth in the country.

This was because it was a viable policy instrument aimed to strengthen both the private and public sectors, to provide better and more cost-effective public service.

Mr. Assibey Antwi urged the participants to be very conversant with issues of transparency and competition, legal framework, project identification, capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and risk allocation to ensure effective implementation to achieve the desired results.

He said the one district one factory policy was an initiative by the government to industrialize the economy and create opportunities for businesses to have easy access to financial and logistical support from banks and government agencies.

Mr. Prince Anokye, Senior Lecturer in Planning and Focal Person for VNG International, said the program was geared towards meeting the needs of the present and future generations.

He identified land segregation, structure of the city, and poor road connections, as some of the main causes of congestion in the city.

The programme would, therefore, help improve urban mobility and enhance accessibility in the central business area, adding that, it would help improve revenue mobilization, enhance stakeholder engagements and engender trust among residents for improved living conditions.