In Accra, Ghana, the frontage and a few other parts of the Council of State Office building will be demolished and reconstructed for an estimated GH6 million.
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This is owing to claims that the building, which was finished in 2016 at a cost of GH4.6 million, was built improperly and is therefore unsuited for its intended use. One such claim is that the conference room lacks adequate space.
Stephen Blay, the Acting Executive Secretary to the Council, explained to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament in Accra on Wednesday that the facility’s communication system denied them privacy during meetings and that it lacked a sewage system and private restrooms.
The building’s improper construction was uncovered in 2017, just as the 7th council started office. There isn’t a single appropriate meeting space in that building. Although there are 31 members of the council, only 15 persons can fit in the building’s conference chamber.
“The sewage system, other from that, was never finished. People on the ground floor may hear whatever you say thanks to the communication system when you are speaking from the top. Therefore, the council decided that occupying it at that time was inappropriate, he added.
In response to inquiries raised by the 2021 Auditor-General report on Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, which indicated that the council building was still vacant, Blay spoke before the committee.
He claimed that in 2017, after realizing that the structure, which had been built and overseen by the Public Works Department, was insufficient, the council called the Ghana Institute of Architects to conduct an inspection, which led to the conclusion that the structure required remodeling.
He claimed that in 2017, after realizing that the structure, which had been built and overseen by the Public Works Department, was insufficient, the council called the Ghana Institute of Architects to conduct an inspection, which led to the conclusion that the structure required remodeling.
The model, according to Mr. Blay, was scheduled to be completed between 2018 and 2019, but when the Drop-That-Chamber campaign was in full swing, it was decided against since it would not have been appropriate to demolish a portion of the structure.
He claimed that the council requested GH6mil for the remodeling of the building in a 2021 proposal to the Ministry of Finance, which was accepted but not released.
He said that the council had reconsidered the remodeling plan in July of last year and had since talked to the chief of staff and the ministry of finance, submitting to the latter options for remodeled structures and a budget for consideration.
Dr. James Avedzi, the committee’s chairman, expressed concern over the predicament and asked Mr. Blay to send the committee a copy of the evaluation report.
