Management of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has secured 16 new apartments for staff of the company after renegotiating a previous contract.
A statement issued by the Public Affairs Department of COCOBOD and copied to BUSINESS GUIDE indicated that the contract for the complex was signed by the previous management with Armandi Construction but the new management, upon assuming office, which was not satisfied with the contract sum, decided to engage the contractor to review the terms of the contract.
This, according to the statement, led to the construction of an additional block made up of 16 apartments.
It said “the review process also secured a number of major facility improvements which included kitchen top cabinet, home lighting fixtures and ceiling fans.”
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, in the statement, said, “I must commend the previous management and board. Originally, 192 apartment units were to be built here at the cost of US$24 million. When the new administration took over, we decided to review the cost of putting up the facilities, and in doing so we amended the project contract and were able to secure an additional block, which is going to give us 16 additional apartments.”
The decision by the present management to review the project resulted in some $3 million in cost savings, which was channelled into the construction of an additional block of 16 apartment units, bringing the total to 208 apartment units, it added.
He expressed gratitude to the previous and current administration for starting and sustaining the project, particularly its chairman for leading the negotiations which resulted in value for money.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of COCOBOD, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, also encouraged the adoption of a good maintenance culture by the eventual occupants of the apartments and management of COCOBOD.
It added that “management should set up a system to easily receive complaints from occupants and address their maintenance challenges promptly.”
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