The Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr. Johnson Asiama, has disclosed that discussions surrounding the construction of a new headquarters for the central bank began as early as 2011.
Appearing before Parliament to answer questions on the decision, Dr. Asiama explained that the Bank of Ghana’s board at the time considered acquiring land for the project.
However, disagreements over a specific location led to no concrete steps being taken before the tenure of the board ended.
“The discussions around a new headquarters for the Bank of Ghana date back to 2011 when the board at the time considered acquiring land for the project. However, the board at the time could not settle on a specific location until its tenure ended,” he stated.
He added that the matter resurfaced in 2016 when he served as the Deputy Governor, but once again, no final decision was made on the location.
“Mr Speaker, even in 2016, when I was the Deputy Governor, the same issue was being considered, however, we could not settle on a specific location,” he noted.
Dr. Asiama further revealed that in 2019, under a new board, a structural integrity audit of the existing headquarters was conducted. The audit revealed significant defects in the building, which was constructed in the late 1950s, deeming it unfit for purpose.
“In 2019, under a new board of the Bank of Ghana, a structural integrity audit was conducted, and this showed that the existing headquarters, which was built in the late 1950s, had developed significant structural defects and was no longer fit for purpose,” he concluded.
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