AG signs for release of $24.5m to complete Job 600

Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho on Friday, January 31, 2014 announced that civil works and furnishing of the office complex for Members of Parliament are scheduled to be completed "soon" as the additional $24.5 million approved by Parliament in September last year has been finally released.

The Attorney General signed for the release of the money, Speaker Adjaho told Members, some of whom were not enthused about the announcement.

"This week I got in touch with the Finance Minister with regard to this matter and he informed me that the Attorney-General has cleared it and, therefore, they have signed the loan agreement now," Speaker Adjaho told the House.

"In this era, when there is a loan agreement, you need to take proper advice from the Attorney General before you run into difficulties," he jested.

"I am pessimistic," Richard Quarshigah, MP for Keta Constituency remarked. "We have had stories like these one too many and the expectation that you will move into these offices early this year is something I need to take with a pinch of salt."

"As it is, it is talk," MP for Asuogyaman Constituency Kofi Osei-Ameyaw said. "I think the period within which we should have done this work is far gone."

But the Chairman of the Works and Housing Committee, David Tetteh Assumeng, assured that work has already begun and believed the state-of-the-art office complex – popularly referred to as Job 600 – will be completed on schedule for Members to move in.

"The contractors have gotten their money and they have moved to site. So, I believe next week we will see some progress of work in the Job 600 building."