The ultra-modern and multi-purpose office complex being constructed by the Minerals Commission as its Ashanti Regional office is nearing completion, with high expectations for its commissioning by October 2024.
Project Consultant Mr. Osei Tutu provided this assurance during a site inspection by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, MP, who visited to assess the progress of the facility.
On Monday, May 27, 2024, the Lands Minister toured the site to familiarize himself with the advancements made on the office complex, which will become the hub for the Minerals Commission’s regulatory and oversight activities in the Ashanti Region and the middle belt of Ghana upon completion.
Speaking to the press after his tour, Samuel A. Jinapor emphasized the importance of a fully operational and well-staffed Minerals Commission office for executing their regulatory duties, not only in the Ashanti Region but also across the entire middle belt of the country, including the Western North and Central Regions.
The Minister highlighted that the government is committed to fully decentralizing the Minerals Commission, and the construction of the state-of-the-art Ashanti Regional Minerals Commission office is a testament to the government’s dedication to developing the mining sector.
“I have to commend the CEO of the Minerals Commission, the consultants, the contractors, and everyone who has worked so diligently to ensure that we put up this extraordinary office for the Ashanti Regional Minerals Commission. If we are going to come to grips with mining, particularly large-scale mining, which contributes significantly to the national economy, as well as small-scale mining, then the Minerals Commission must have the requisite structure, personnel, and operational capacity to regulate the mining sector. This government has taken the initiative to ensure that the regulation of mining activities is decentralized, and we are on course”, he said.
“This is a major investment by the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. I have been told that it is going to be the tallest building in Kumasi. It will be a place where we can conduct rigorous investigations of the mining sector and the products of the mining sector in the country”, he added.
“The contractors have given us the assurance that it will be handed over to the government by the end of September, and I’m going to hold them to it. I will be knocking on the doors of Manhyia to seek the concurrence of His Royal Majesty Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, to commission this project in the first week of October,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Martin Kwaku Ayisi, revealed that the project was initially estimated to cost GH₵80 million. He also mentioned that the commission has plans to lease some of the offices in the edifice to generate revenue.
Mr. Ayisi further elaborated on the maintenance plan crafted by the commission, assuring that the facility will bring significant benefits.
Mr. Osei Tutu, the project consultant, expressed confidence that the project, which is currently 71% complete, will be ready by the end of September 2024.
Breaking down the completion rate, Mr. Osei Tutu said, “Preliminaries are at 60%, the soft structure for the main building is 100%, the ground floor for the main building is at 63%, but the overall progress of work for the seven-story is at 63%. We have the laboratory and main block. The laboratory and main block are about 71% complete, so cumulatively, we are about 71%.”
Since 2021, the Minerals Commission has initiated a significant infrastructural development campaign nationwide. This effort includes the construction of several buildings across ten mining regions.
The goal is to decentralize the commission’s services, bringing them closer to stakeholders and aiding the government’s efforts to streamline operations in the mining sector.