Ghana’s President H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has cut the sod for construction of the operational headquarters of the country’s national oil company, GNPC, in Takoradi in the Western Region
The seven-storey complex which will cost US$ 25 million upon completion will provide office space for 400 staff.
Speaking at the sod cutting ceremony, President Akufo-Addo said the project signifies the fulfillment of the NPP’s manifesto pledge to make the Western Region the hub of Ghana’s petroleum sector.
“If it was not for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this project would have been at an advanced stage,” the President said.
Once completed, the building will have a 300-seater auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria and a business centre on the ground floor.
The upper floors will accommodate private office spaces for GNPC and other potential tenants, especially in the oil and gas value chain.
It will be constructed over a period of two years.
The President urged the contractor to ensure the timely delivery of this project within budget and with the use of local labour.
“It is good that the Western Region is benefiting from many of the initiative undertaken by the GNPC Foundation as the oil and gas resources that generate the revenues of the Corporation are currently located on the shores of the Western Region,” he said.
The contractor, Boaz Levi, said the office complex is being built with smart technology and will create 300 employments along the 24 month period it hopes to complete construction.
“In compliance with the government’s policy of ensuring smart energy efficiency, the office complex is designed with solar ingress and wind direction. Upon completion, the building is expected to attain LEED certification, which measures building standards to assess their compliance with ‘all-in-one’ address of energy efficiency, water conservation, site selection, material selection, daylighting and waste reduction.“
The NPP Chairman and Board Chairman of GNPC, Freddie Blay, said Corporation’s objective is to ensure all benefit through GNPC Foundation.
“We are happy to say that, since the establishment of the Foundation and through GNPC’s Corporate Social Investment initiatives, the Western Region has received its fair share of infrastructure in the provision of classroom blocks, science laboratories, Astro turfs, sanitation blocks, tertiary scholarships and provision of potable water and these are also seen across the country to bridge the development gap.”
The President also commissioned an ultra-modern office complex and hostel facility for the Western Regional House of Chiefs, constructed and furnished by the GNPC Foundation in Sekondi.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
