Accra, June 29, GNA - Mr. Hackman Owusu Agyemang, Minister of Works and Housing on Thursday said the country was blessed with knowledgeable architectural engineers who could design and put up magnificent buildings and edifices but lack of maintenance culture leads to the fast deterioration of such structures.

He said this when he commissioned a new ultra modern hotel belonging to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) at a cost of about 14 billion cedis in Accra. It is fully air conditioned with 28 double-bed rooms with five suites and Accra offices for the University.

Mr. Owusu Agyemang praised the university and the graduates for their contribution towards national development, adding that most of the engineers at the Volta River Authority were products of the university.

Professor Kwesi Andam, Vice Chancellor of the University said the University decided to build such a hotel because its old guest house was weak and inadequate and the designs did not allow for privacy.

He said the university's resolution was to design a beautiful, ultra modern hotel with the right number of rooms and the privacy and comfort that the staff of the school needed to carry out their responsibility in Accra.

He said funds for the construction was from the university's internally generated income and will be ran by the university but opened to the public as a means of generating resources for the university. Prof. Andam urged clients, visitors and the staff to take extra care of the valuable facility to prolong its lifespan.