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Media reports quote a health minister in the erstwhile John Mahama administration, Alex Segbefia, as accusing the Akufo-Addo government of awarding all major architectural design contracts to one company. He named 11 national projects which he claimed have been awarded since 2017 to the firm Adjaye Associates, led by Sir David Adjaye, the renowned and award-winning Ghanaian-British architect.

Segbefia listed the projects as the following: the redevelopment of the Trade Fair Site in Accra, Efua Sutherland Children’s Park, a new chamber for Parliament, the Marine Drive Project, Oil City in Takoradi, GNPC’s offices in Takoradi, Bank of Ghana’s new headquarters, the Energy City (Airport City II) project, a railway terminus, and Ghana’s embassy in the United States of America.

The latest object of scrutiny is the government’s flagship health infrastructural project, Agenda 111, which involves the construction of 101 district hospitals, seven regional hospitals and three psychiatric specialist hospitals.

However, checks by Asaase Radio show gross misrepresentation and outright fabrication in some of the projects mentioned by the leading NDC representative. Here are the facts we discovered. 

Trade Fair
On the renovation of the Trade Fair Company, Adjaye Associates was one of three firms selected by the board of directors of Ghana Trade Fair Company Ltd, in compliance with Ghana Trade Fair Company’s mandate, as approved by the Public Procurement Authority, to execute works.

The board of directors approved the appointment of Adjaye Associates on the basis that the value of Adjaye Associates’ contract was below $170,000, and so within the ambit of Ghana Trade Fair Company Ltd’s board of directors to approve under the Public Procurement Authority Act.

Adjaye Associates’ role is to design the masterplan concept and to ensure that the infrastructure, vision, principles and guidelines of the masterplan are executed accordingly.

Individual buildings will be executed by other architects chosen by the various investors, in line with the approved plans.

Efua Sutherland Children’s Park
On the alleged award of Efua Sutherland Children’s Park to Adjaye Associates, the facts show that Adjaye Associates has not been engaged or contracted to work on any such project.

The claim is totally untrue.

Parliamentary chamber
In 2019, Adjaye Associates was one of three firms selected after a response to a request for proposals issued by the Parliamentary Service Board, in line with the Public Procurement Act.

The new legislative chamber project has been shelved following public outcry over the cost, and timing. Members of the public largely criticised the project as not being a national priority.

Marine Drive
The services of Adjaye Associates with regard to the Marine Drive Project were procured to develop the masterplan, in compliance with the Public Procurement Authority Act.

This followed a request for a review of the previous masterplan by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

Adjaye Associates’ role is to ensure that the infrastructure, vision, principles and guidelines of the masterplan are executed accordingly. Individual buildings will be executed by other architects, in line with the approved plans.

Oil City
On the Oil City project in Takoradi, our checks show that Adjaye Associates has not been engaged in any such project, if indeed it exists.

And on the headquarters of Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC) in Takoradi, checks by Asaase News showed that Adjaye Associates did put in a bid in the public tender but was not successful.

So the claim is not true.

Bank of Ghana
The services of Adjaye Associates were procured for the construction of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) office complex, in compliance with the Public Procurement Authority Act, to provide a feasibility/concept study for the BoG office building within the Marine Drive masterplan.

Energy City
Adjaye Associates was selected as the winning firm following a public tendering process, published and advertised by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, with regard to the building of the Energy City (Airport City II) project.

Railway Terminal
Adjaye Associates’ services were procured by the Ministry of Railways Development, in compliance with the Public Procurement Authority Act, to provide feasibility/concept studies for a railway terminal project.

Ghana Embassy in Washington
With regard to the alleged construction of a new embassy for Ghana in the United States, checks by Asaase News show that Adjaye Associates has not been engaged for any such project.

Agenda 111
Adjaye Associates was contracted by the Hospital Infrastructure Group Ltd, the co-ordinating consultant and lead project manager for Agenda 111, as the design architect for the standardised district hospital concept.

It is that single hospital design which will be used for the 101 district hospitals to be built under Agenda 111.

The project has been zoned under eight different civil engineering and project management consultants, including Adjaye Associates, a procurement that was also approved by the PPA.