Government will spend $150 million on a new conference venue, according to the minority chief whip
The government is allegedly planning to fund the construction of a new conference centre, estimated to cost $150 million, opposite the National Cathedral, according to statements made by the minority chief whip in parliament, Kwame Governs Agbodza.
Following the recommendation that the present Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) be demolished by a structural audit report, these preparations have been made.
He said that the AICC was scheduled for demolition two weeks ago as a result of the government obtaining a structural audit report on the structure.
“Did you know that the International Conference Centre was going to be destroyed in the next two weeks? A structural audit report was obtained by the government to support the destruction. A new one opposite the National Cathedral will be funded by the government for $150 million at the same time, he added in the tweet.
The AICC, which was established in 1991 and has long been a location for important national and international events, is reportedly a ticking time bomb because of structural flaws.
The flaws are seriously endangering the structure.
The concrete covering the iron rods on the majority of the columns supporting that enormous structure is already coming off.
The building’s structural integrity has been harmed by the development.
It was discovered that several enormous columns had their iron rods impacted by corrosion during a visit of various sites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by members of the Foreign Affairs Committee. This issue is attributed to poor maintenance and weather conditions.
Most of the afflicted columns, according to Mark Addo, a structural engineer from the Ghana Institute of Engineering, had “30% of the concrete peeled off.”
He issued a warning that any strong external pressure may cause the structure to collapse.
He said that a major buckling may lead to the structure collapsing.
The committee also visited the newly renovated passport office, which is being built in place of the old one, which was chosen to be demolished to make space for the National Cathedral.
The Foreign Affairs Training Institute was the members’ last port of call.