New 450-seat parliament construction to start before year-end

Before the end of 2019, Ghanaians are to see a new parliament under construction.

The Parliamentary Service Board has already received the architectural model for the new chamber from renowned Ghanaian architect David Frank Adjaye, the same designer of the National Cathedral.

He walked the leaders of the house and the MPs through the new design at a meeting on Friday.

“We have been given the direction to prepare to start sometime this year. If we are able to start this year, it can be completed within the next three years”, Mr Adjaye said, adding: “We are removing the Parliamentary chamber to a new chamber and refurbishing the old parliament to be another conference facility for parliament”

“We are going to put all the car parks you see, under the parliament for security”, he explained to the media. “The parliamentarians can drive into a secure zone and rise up directly into the chamber,” he said.

“This will allow the Job 600 building to perform better. Where the car parks are will be turned into gardens which will be able to receive people on occasions.”

The 450-seater chamber will come with a chapel, mosque, restaurant, and a museum.

Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia hinted at putting up a new chamber in 2017 when he inspected the lawmaking house following a rainstorm that ripped off the roof of the building.

In that same year, Speaker of Parliament Prof. Oquaye indicated that the new $200-million chamber will have a 400-seater public gallery and would be sited behind the Speaker’s block.

At the time, he said an Indian construction firm, Shapoorji Pallonji, which put up the Jubilee House from 2006 to 2008, had already done a feasibility study for the project pending approval.