Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has revealed that the ongoing renovation works on the Parliamentary Chamber will cost the government of Ghana approximately €2.26 million.
The upgrade is in preparedness for the 9th Parliament to move to a paperless Parliament.
The project which was awarded under competitive tendering is being done by African Bagg Limited.
It is in three phases, thus the electrical and technological installation, work table with tablet and microphones and the other will be fittings and finishing.
The work tables are being produced locally by a company called Fernac, all other equipment will be imported.
Parliament went on an indefinite break at midnight on July 30 to speed up work on the renovation project, which is expected to last around three months.
On Friday, August 23, the Speaker toured the Chamber to inspect the progress of the work.
During his visit, Alban Bagbin outlined some of the challenges facing the House, including issues with voting, quorum, and malfunctioning audiovisual systems.
He recalled that in 2014, Bosch DICENTIS Multimedia Company was commissioned by former Speaker Doe Adjaho to transform the House into an E-Parliament, a move aimed at reducing costs associated with bulk printing, paperwork, and other related expenses.
He revealed that the former Speaker, Prof Mike Ocquaye, later reviewed the initial contract and decided to install biometric gadgets in the Chamber.
This led to a competitive tendering process, with the contract awarded to Michel Africa Parliament Services.
The renovation is expected to be completed by the end of October 2024.
Source: Ohene Amponsah
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