Kumasi Presidential apartment left to ‘rot’

Ashanti Regional Minister does not use his official residency

Ashanti Regional Coordinating Director hints of renovation works on presidential suite, bungalow

Renovation plans for presidential apartment captured in 2022 budget

A suite meant to accommodate the President and his vice whenever they frequent Kumasi, currently appears to have become a ‘white elephant’, Ghanaian times newspaper reports.

The apartment which was built in 2006 by the former President John Agyekum Kufuor was meant to shelter the President or Vice President anytime their visits to Kumasi required them to sleep over.

The apartment has however been rendered redundant over the years as past and present governments have been making use of hotels whenever they frequented Kumasi.

The apartment is closer to the official residency of the Ashanti Regional Minister at the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) at Nyieaso in Kumasi.

According to the Ghanaiantimes Newspaper, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, after 5 years of assumption of office, has also not used his official residence.

Five years on and nothing has been done to renovate the bungalow nor the Presidential apartment which also needed some renovation work before it could be utilised.

According to the Ghanaian times, a visit to the place, saw the place engulfed by weeds, painting a picture that the buildings were more of a ‘white elephant.

The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Director, Emelia Botchway, has however disputed the painted picture saying the building was not a ‘white elephant. She stated that budgetary estimates had been forwarded to Accra and that has been captured in the recent budget reading.

She was also hopeful the renovation works on the facilities would take off in 2022, the report further said.