Business News of Friday, 24 May 2013

Source: GNA

$93m West Hills Mall to open October 2014

The West Hills Mall in west Accra is expected to be ready by October 2014, Kofi Sekyere, Board Chairman, said on Thursday.

Speaking to journalists on during a tour of the project site, Mr Sekyere said the $93 million project, which started in December 2012, was on course for its scheduled completion date of October 2014.

The project is a joint venture between Delico Property Developments Limited, an investment company incorporated in Mauritius and controlled by Atterbury Africa, and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).

Delico holds a 60 per cent stake in the project while SSNIT has 40 per cent.

When finished, the 27,000 square-metre West Hills will be the largest shopping centre in Accra. It will have two supermarket anchor stores and 65 shops, as well as restaurants and a five-screen cinema complex.

The mall’s anchor tenant will be South African retailer Shoprite, along with other South African retailers Woolworths, Mr Price and Truworths.

Mr Sekyere said based on on-going discussions the investment could reach $100 million, driven by demand for spaces.

He said about 1,000 local workers would be employed during the project construction phase on a wide range of artisanal works and different construction modules.

Many of these local employees would be trained in the operation and deployment of a variety of construction and earth-moving equipment, he said.

Mr Sekyere said to avoid traffic congestion an interchange would be constructed to ease vehicular traffic from Accra to Cape Coast and vice-versa.

He said the project was being undertaken by a strong technical, professional and highly specialised team from the WBHO construction firm from South Africa, working closely with a corresponding team of Ghanaian technical and professional organisations, to deliver the project in record time.