Western Regional Minister tasks Nzema East MCE to complete 23-year-old abandoned Assembly Complex

Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson has instructed the Nzema East Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Herbert Kuah Dickson, to expedite the completion of the 23-year-old abandoned Municipal Assembly complex. Expressing his dissatisfaction with the prolonged delay, Nelson questioned why successive administrations had not completed the project, which was originally designed to provide the municipality with a suitable administrative facility.

During a visit to Nzema East, Nelson inspected the complex and emphasized the need for its completion, describing the current state as disappointing, especially given the years of construction and the ongoing use of the incomplete structure for Assembly meetings.

Nelson urged Dickson to treat the project as a legacy investment, emphasizing the responsibility of successive administrations to complete projects initiated by their predecessors. Dickson responded by stating that the Assembly had taken steps to revive the project after reviewing the performance of the original contractor. The contract, awarded in 2003 but subsequently abrogated in 2026, led the Assembly to consider a phased completion strategy, focusing on part of its allocation for legacy projects under the District Assemblies Common Fund.

Dickson revealed that the Assembly plans to undertake the first phase, involving the Assembly hall and adjoining offices, in three phases, with the first phase expected to commence in 2027 and cost around GH¢5 million. The subsequent phases will address the remaining sections of the complex as funding becomes available. The Regional Minister's intervention has reinvigorated attention on the delay, with the completion of the project expected to provide Nzema East with a more suitable administrative center and finally resolve the issue of a long-standing public infrastructure investment.