The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has expressed joy at the construction of an Annex Office Building project expected to resolve the problem of inadequate office space which has been occasioned by the increase in the number of staff.

The negotiations on the China-Aid Annex Office Building for the ministry began about three years ago and is funded by the Chinese Government under the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation between China and Ghana.

According to the sector minister, six-storey building to be situated at the south of the existing office building will include an ultra-modern office space for the Minister, the Chief Director, directors and officers.

The building will also host a conference room, a press room, a banquet hall, a gym, a clinic, a flag holding room and an underground parking lot, among others.

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey made these known on the occasion of the signing ceremony of the implementation agreement on the China-Aid Annex Office Building project for the ministry.

"For the past two weeks, the Ghana side has been working assiduously with the Team of Experts led by Mr. Shen Gang to undertake further investigations on the assessment and evaluation of the Design Scheme and Architectural drawings of the Annex Office building project. The working visit has indeed been a fruitful one, the outcome of which both parties initialed the Design Scheme," she said.

She also stated how her counterparts on the China had played their part in investigating the project sit, stating her hopes the project will commence soon.

"Furthermore, as part of the Special investigation at the project site, two experts of the Chinese team arrived this week to undertake geotechnical and soil testing at the project site.

"With these working visits and the signing of the Implementation Agreement, it is my fervent hope that construction of the Annex Office Building will commence soon and be completed within one and a half years as stipulated in the agreement," she said.