A partially completed official residence for Ghana’s Vice-President has sat abandoned in Cantonments, Accra, for 13 years since construction began.

The three unfinished structures, located behind a high wall in one of Accra’s expensive neighbourhoods, are now surrounded by overgrown weeds.

The administration of former President John Mahama awarded the project to CONSAR Limited on October 10, 2013, and construction began on November 3, 2013.

According to documents obtained by The Fourth Estate from Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL), the original contract sum was US$3,563,884.50, with completion expected by May 2015.

However, by April 11, 2014, the government had paid the contractor US$2,425,752.21, representing about 68% of the original contract amount.

The payment was made within five months of the start of a project that was expected to take 18 months to complete.

The documents do not clearly explain why such a large portion of the contract sum was paid so early or the level of work completed at the time.

AESL records indicate that construction stalled after the change of government following the 2016 general elections. This was after the original May 2015 completion deadline had already passed.

The actual cost of the unfinished residence has also remained unclear, with different figures emerging over the years.

While AESL records put the original contract at US$3.56 million, former Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia in 2017 questioned reports that the project would cost US$13.9 million.

Then New Patriotic Party communications director Nana Akomea subsequently cited an AESL document which he said showed a total project cost of about US$13.97 million.

The document reportedly indicated that US$8,179,138.95 had been spent, with US$5,789,113.71 outstanding.

The National Democratic Congress disputed the figure at the time.

Clement Apaak, then MP for Builsa South, told Starr FM in February 2017 that US$5.9 million had been budgeted for the project.

“US$5.9 million is what has been budgeted for the putting up of the Vice-President’s residence and not US$13 million,” he said.

He added that former Vice-President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur had briefed Dr Bawumia on the project and indicated that no further payments had been made.

Thirteen years after construction began, the different figures have not been publicly reconciled.

There are also concerns about whether the location remains suitable for the Vice-President’s official residence.

A government official familiar with the project told The Fourth Estate that several multi-storey apartment buildings have since been constructed around the site, raising potential security concerns.

The abandoned project therefore leaves questions about the total amount spent, why construction was halted and whether the property can still serve its intended purpose. Watch more pictures below





NA/VPO

Inside Ghana’s Abandoned Engineering Powerhouse: What Went Wrong?