The Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison, has categorically affirmed that the institution adhered strictly to procurement laws in its endeavor to construct a new headquarters for the Central Bank.
The Bank of Ghana’s response comes in light of concerns expressed by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, regarding the mounting expenses related to the new headquarters situated in Ridge, Accra.
Ablakwa raised issues regarding the cost of the project, stating that it escalated “from an initial US$81.8 million to US$121 million & currently threatening to exceed US$250 million.”
He also alleged that the chosen construction company, selected through a single-source process by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), is not even a registered entity within the country.
Dr. Addison, in his response, provided a detailed explanation of the timeline and rationale behind the decision to initiate the construction of the new head office. He revealed that the decision to proceed with construction was made in 2019, prompted by the Bank’s profits during that time.
While acknowledging the concerns voiced by the MP, Dr. Addison firmly stated that all actions taken were fully compliant with the law and adhered to proper procedures.
Dr. Addison stated the following:
“The Bank of Ghana as far back as the 1990s began the search for suitable and secured land for a new Head office. In 2012, the Bank was allocated an unnumbered 5.19-acre land at Accra Central by the Lands Commission which also had issues. The Bank did not have access to the land since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration refused to give the Bank vacant possession on the grounds that they had never agreed to give up ownership of the land. The Bank continued to search for suitable land for its Head Office throughout the period from 2013 to 2016. More recently in 2018, the Bank approached the SIC to acquire its vacant land at Ridge near the Ridge Hospital.
“The Government issued an Executive Instrument to allow the Bank of Ghana to acquire that Land and SIC was duly compensated. The Bank then began to plan the building of its new Head Office, taking into consideration the need to ensure the building meets all the requirements of a modern central bank of international standards (similar to central bank head office buildings in Abuja and Dakar), and includes provision for data centres, currency processes, vaults, and other sensitive installation. It is not just a simple ordinary building. Let me re-emphasize that the Bank followed all the necessary public procurement processes in this endeavour.
“No procurement laws were broken. I have requested that a more detailed response to the issues raised in the public discourse on the Bank’s new Head Office building be published on our website immediately after this press engagement today.
“The decision to commence construction was taken in 2019 when the Bank generated profits. Appropriations for the Head Office were made each year from profits in 2019, 2020, and 2021. The project has, therefore, been going on for over 3 years. The DDEP only took place in January 2023. If we were to be taking the decision today, building a legacy Head Office would not have been a priority.
“However, this is a project that has been running for 3 years and about 50 percent complete. The Bank is fully aware of its responsibilities to ensure that the costs do not escalate beyond reasonable levels and that many of the original design features to including data centre, currency processing centre, ICT equipment, and specialized security features have been deferred and only grey boxes provided for future use to manage costs.”
Source – citinewsroom.com
