Speaker Bagbin inspects ongoing renovation works in parliamentary chamber

The Chamber of Parliament is undergoing renovation works to provide a better working environment for the members of Parliament.The pound 2.26 million Government of Ghana funded project is being executed by African Bagg Limited, a local Ghanaian company.The work began on August 6, 2024 and is expected to be completed by the end of October, this year, to pave the way for the House to resume from recess.Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin on Friday inspected the works to assess its progress and was conducted round by Mr Leslie Addico, the Deputy Head of Information Technology (IT) of Parliament.Interacting with the Parliamentary Press Corps at the end of the inspection, Speaker Bagbin expressed the hope that the work would be completed on schedule so the House could conduct business in November before rising for the December 7 general election.He mentioned issues of voting, quorum and malfunctioning of audiovisual systems as some of the challenges the House faced.He said upon the resumption of the House, it would make use of the newly installed equipment to ensure that the Ninth Parliament, which would take office on January 7, 2025, would have a better audiovisual system to facilitate business.Touching on the genesis of the project, Speaker Bagbin said in 2014 the Bosch DICENTIS Multimedia Company was commissioned by former Speaker Edward Doe Adjaho, to transform the House into an E-Parliament.The move was aimed at reducing costs associated with bulk printing of papers such as order papers, votes and proceedings of the House and documents.During the tenure of Speaker Mike Oquaye, the initial contract was reviewed and the installation of biometric gadgets in the Chamber was to be included, Speaker Bagbin said.'This resulted in a competitive tendering process and the contract was awarded to Michel Africa Parliament Services.'Speaker Bagbin said upon his assumption of office, the Parliamentary Service Board, under his chairmanship, decided to revisit the project and ensure its execution.The p roject went through a competitive tender process, which concluded that the worktables would be produced locally by a company called Fernac, whereas other equipment would be imported.With regards to the request by the Majority for an extraordinary meeting of the House to conduct urgent Government Business, the Speaker said because the Chamber was not ready for use, the House would be recalled on September 3, at a venue yet to be determined.Source: Ghana News Agency