The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is in line to save GH¢4 million in annual rent for head office staff if the new head office project is completed.
The project, which was estimated to cost GH¢491 million was due for completion within two years.
When completed, the new GRA head office complex would boast of a seven-storey twin tower with a total office area of 13,725 square metres which would host all the headquarters staff, who were currently housed in the existing head office at the Ministries and six other rented buildings in Accra.
Touring the project site in Accra on June 24, Head of Communications and Public Affairs at GRA, Assistant Commissioner Florence Asante, said the project was long overdue, given its immense benefits to the authority and the country as a whole.
She said the construction of a single office for all staff was a necessity and economical.
“It is expensive to run the rented offices. It cost the authority more than GH¢4 million every year to rent the six separate buildings for staff,” she stated.
Mrs Asante said the project would help to address the office accommodation and parking space constraints facing the authority.
Currently, she noted that staff of the Head Office was operating from the Osu Revenue Towers, the Customs Head Office, and other facilities in Accra.
The Head of Communications and Public Affairs explained that the new head office building would have enough office spaces and adjoining infrastructure for all of GRA’s head office staff.
Additionally, she said it would also provide enough parking lots for staff and visitors, thereby eliminating the parking constraints that visitors to the authority’s main head office at the Ministries currently faced.
The Project Manager, Sidney Quaye, said work was progressing smoothly and the two-year timeline would be met.
He also gave the assurance that the work was being done on schedule.
The GRA head office was scheduled to commence in 2016 but was delayed due to government’s decision to host key agencies of the Ministry of Finance in one location to be referred to as the national financial enclave.
The current site at Kanda was found to be appropriate for the government’s agenda and it had since been allocated to GRA, the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), among other agencies to start the construction of their head offices.
BY CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS
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