The ultra-modern office complex
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), after over 100 years of operating in its colonial office building behind the Bank of Ghana (BoG) on the Asafoatse Nettey Street in Accra, can now boast of a new ultra-modern office complex in the heart of the Central Business District of Accra.
The three-storey edifice, which is expected to be commissioned by President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, 5 December 2018, occupies 4,000 square metres of space within the commercial enclave of the city, which houses the Octagon, Accra City Hotel, Mövenpick Hotel, National Theatre, Kinbu Secondary Technical School, Assembly Press and the vibrant Tema station.
Constructed by Dream Reality, the AMA’s new office complex is disability friendly and can boast of ancillary facilities such as a 300 capacity conference room, meeting rooms, cafeteria, landscaping (greening) and a 200-capacity car park.
History has it that the land, which was acquired by the colonial government under a certificate of title dated March 16, 1894, was released to the ACMC by a lease dated February 22, 2001, which subsequently assigned a portion of the land to Dream Reality Company Limited on July 23, 2008.
Before that, a former Chief Executive of the Assembly, Nat Nunoo Amarteifio, initiated the process of securing the land for the construction of a city hall that would befit the status of the Assembly.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the ACMC and the AMA and dated February 19, 2008 stipulated that the Novotel Park parcel of land had been leased to the ACMC for 50 years, with effect from January 1, 2001 for the development of a 15-storey structure.
Under the terms of the MoU, which was endorsed by the former Mayor of Accra, Stanley Nii Adjiri-Blankson, and the Chairman of the ACMC, Ekow Awoonor, the company shall, in collaboration with and approved by the AMA, design and build at the company’s own cost a three-storey office complex for use as official AMA City Hall.
Under the MoU, the AMA shall also be allocated two floors of parking development from which it shall collect revenue.
After several attempts to eject traders on the land for the commencement of the project, the former Mayor of Accra, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, cut sod for the commencement of the project on 5th June 2014.
In 2017, the AMA, under the able leadership of Mohammed Adjei Sowah, ensured the speedy completion and furnishing of the office complex in his quest to create a conducive environment for work and promote development.
In line with the AMA’s vision of making Accra a Smart, Safe, Sustainable and Resilient Modern City, the new edifice has been designed to encompass all the necessary facilities and logistics that describe a smart office space with the aim of ensuring that the Assembly achieves its vision and also serves the people of Accra effectively and efficiently.