Editorial News of Wednesday, 31 January 2001

Source: null

Makola market project - another SSNIT drain

The Makola Market Company (MMC) project, which comprises the construction of the Makola Shopping Mall in Accra Central and the Agbogbloshie new market (New Makola No. 2) is under serious scrutiny, according to the Free Press.

The project, financed by SSNIT was initially estimated to cost ?5.152 billion but it has now quadrupled to a total cost of ?20.945 billion, according to the paper's investigations.

Information indicates that three years after the project was completed, MMC, managers of the project, did not know the final cost and the Company's Public Relations Manager, Mrs Rose-Margaret Kpodo when asked to give the figures referred the paper to the consultants, CIASD Consortium.

Again the contract agreement between SSNIT, which owns 90 per cent share of the project and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), 10 per cent share was yet to be completed and that the agreement had been redrafted with AMA saying it would want a study before signing it.

The Free press says as to what caused the review of the contract agreement, Mrs Kpodo could not explain and again she referred the paper to the consultants.

The consultants also referred the Free Press back to the MMC.