Work on Upper East Regional Passport Office resumes, RCC insists no further delays are expected

It would be recalled that in August last year, this website reported renewed delays in the construction of the Upper East Regional Passport Office located in Bolgatanga. Even before the delay in August, previous delays had been attributed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ decision to redesign the facility.

Following the completion of the new design, it was communicated that, if all things proceeded as planned, the contractor would finish the facility and hand it over to the Ministry by the end of August 2023, but that did not materialize.

Alhaji Abubakr Inusah, Chief Director of the Upper East Regional Coordination Council, explained that the delays, at the time, were a result of redundancies in public offices.

“The redesign has been done. Initially, where they thought the face of the facility should be, they didn’t have access roads, so they had to redesign the whole place. I have spoken to the contractor, and it is not about funds. Currently, what is holding it is, excuse me to say, we, the bureaucrats. The technicians who are supposed to redesign the structure, you know it went with cost, and that is what is delaying it,” he explained.

A check by this website today, January 18, 2023, shows that work has resumed at the site. At the time of the visit by the News Team, it was realized that the facility was near the roofing stage.

When Alhaji Abubakr Inusah, Chief Director of the Upper East Regional Coordination Council spoke to Mark Smith on the Day Break Upper East Show, he mentioned that there are no challenges that would hinder the completion of the project this time around.

“Work is ongoing. They are almost at the roofing level. Working is progressing steadily. It is reaching an appreciable level of completion. I don’t foresee that [any challenges that would put the project on hold]. Even in the past, but for the restructuring, the funds were available. The contractors themselves are aware that it is a hotcake for the region so they are not sleeping on the job.”

While Alhaji Inusah could not state specifically on the date of the completion of work, he mentioned that it would be immediately handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and work at the Passport Office would begin in earnest.