President Akufo-Addo, on Wednesday, 19th August 2020, cut the sod for the commencement of construction of the Operational Headquarters of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.
This, according to the President is a government effort to making the Western Region “a regional oil services hub with a first-class port facility, as well as positioning it as an efficient centre for back-office support for the oil industry in the West African region, including the relocation of the headquarters of GNPC to the region.”
“Nananom, I am here, this afternoon, to cut the sod for the commencement of construction works on a seven-storey modern office complex, spanning about seven thousand (7,000) square metres of floor space, to be used as the operational headquarters of GNPC,” he said.
He added that, but for the prolonged search for a suitable land for the edifice and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the project would have far advanced by now.
“I appreciate the effort of the Western Regional Minister, the Western Regional House of Chiefs, and the Regional Lands Commission, for making it possible for this project to commence. Once completed, the building will have a three hundred (300)-seater auditorium, a gymnasium, a cafeteria and a business centre on the ground Floor,” he said.
“The upper floors will provide office spaces for GNPC and other potential tenants, especially in the oil and gas value chain. The building will also have a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification, and will achieve energy efficiency through the use of solar energy. It will be a smart office, and it will be one of the most advanced buildings, and, indeed, one of a kind in Sekondi-Takoradi.”
The estimated cost for the projected is about twenty-five million dollars which are projected to last over two years. The President also urged the contractors of the project, Messrs Sienna Services, to ensure timely delivery of the project.
He also expressed his delight at the numerous projects funded by GNPC through the GNPC Foundation based in the Region’s capital, Takoradi. He lauded the Foundation for focusing on capacity building through their scholarship award scheme, research funding for universities and training of artisans.
“It is supporting artisanal training for masons, mechanics, carpenters, electricians, hairdressers, dressmakers etc. To enable them obtain certification from the National Vocational Training Institute. It is good that the Western Region is benefitting from many of the initiatives undertaken by the GNPC Foundation, as the oil and gas resources that generate the revenues of the Corporation are currently located off the shores of the Western Region,” he added.
He thanked the chiefs for their support saying, “I look forward to commissioning this building upon its completion, God willing, in 2022, because ‘one good term deserves another’. Hopefully, by the grace of God, it will be four more for Nana and the NPP.”
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I’m Deborah Aba Narkoah. I’m an avid reader, writer and public speaker.
