The Minerals Commission is constructing a cutting-edge office complex in the Ashanti Region, which is expected to be completed by October 2024.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, on Monday, May 27, visited the site to inspect the progress of the construction.
The new office complex will serve as the hub for the Minerals Commission’s regulatory and oversight activities in the Ashanti Region and the middle belt of the country.
Addressing the media after his tour, Abu Jinapor emphasized the importance of having a well-equipped Minerals Commission office to effectively regulate mining activities in the region.
He commended the government’s commitment to decentralizing the Minerals Commission and developing the mining sector.
The Minister also mentioned that the new office will be a significant investment by the government and is expected to be the tallest building in Kumasi.
“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 Minister also plans to seek the approval of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, to commission the project in the first week of October.
“The contractors have assured us 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, also stated that the project was initially estimated to cost GH₵80 million and the commission plans to generate revenue by renting out some of the offices in the building.
The project consultant, Mr Osei Tutu, expressed confidence that the project, which is currently 71% complete, will be ready by the end of September 2024.
“Preliminaries are at 60%, the soft structure for the main building is 100%, and 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%.”
This initiative is part of the Minerals Commission’s nationwide infrastructural development drive to bring its services closer to stakeholders and streamline the operations of the mining sector.
READ ALSO: