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I was determined to get new office for AMA despite challenges - Former mayor

Former mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije has said he was determined to put up a new office building for the Assembly around the Octagon complex despite challenges.

Date Created : 5/7/2018 3:44:04 AM : Story Author : Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

He recounted in an interview with ghanamps.com in 2009 how difficult it was getting the stakeholders including the AMA, owners of the Octagon building - Dream Reality Company and the Kim Bu School to understand and agree on the siting of the project.

Moving the market women from where the Octagon building is to Odawna, they threatened “naked demonstration” but someone had to stand firm and coordinate for this project to see the light of the day, he said.

“I thank God under the previous administration we took this bold challenge to put up such a solid edifice”.

He further recounted that the Dream Reality Company was facing challenges with their proposal for approval, but he studied the proposal and noticed it was a worthy venture that needed support.

In the proposal I ensured that the Kim Bu School also benefited from putting up of the Octagon building for the educational advancement since the school was within that same vicinity, the former mayor remarked.

Mr. Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije revealed that when he exited office in 2016, with the new AMA office building what is left is offices to be completed and added that the Octagon building had been commissioned by the President.

As to what prompted the AMA to agree to the proposal of the new office complex, the former mayor recounted that the former Governor of the Bank of Ghana, the immediate past Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur had indicated to the Assembly that they wanted expansion of the Bank of Ghana building and that was going to affect the AMA building.

So we took advantage of the opportunity when the Dream Reality approached the Assembly with their project to get a new office complex for the Assembly.