MDPI Project Now To Cost 15.7bC

Accra , Aug. 18, --- Permanent offices and residential buildings for the Management Development and Productivity Institute (MDPI) now under construction at Nungua, will now cost 15. 7 billion cedis when completed. The building complex expected to serve as a regional training institute for West Africa, was originally to cost two million cedis in 1972. When completed it would comprise an administration block , offices, residence for the staff and 280 apartments for course attendants. Mr Abu Bakr Bibilazu, Acting Deputy Director, MDPI , (Training and Research), was speaking to the GNA in an interview, shortly after closing a five-day course on "Managerial Leadership skills and Development " for 18 participants at the weekend. They were drawn from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development , the Volta River Authority and some private companies. Mr Bibilazu said this year, 250 million cedis has been approved in the budget under the Public Investment Project for the project. Government , he said, has expressed its willingness to see the project completed and the Ministry of Finance is looking for funding elsewhere. The institute was established in 1962 under a joint Ghana Government, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) project . It was mandated to build up managerial capacity in both public and private organisations through its training, consultancy and research activities with the view to ensuring the growth and development of the national economy on a sustainable basis. The institute has trained thousands of personnel from all fields of endeavour including those from the West African sub-region who have benefited from its regular In- plant and project-related management improvement courses, among others . Mr Bibilazu mentioned some of the problems facing the institute as lack of buses for field trips for course participants and inadequate funding to run the affairs of the institute.