The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has criticised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over what it describes as the prolonged underutilisation of Ghana’s mission building in New York City.
During a PAC sitting on Tuesday, May 19, Acting Chairman Samuel Atta-Mills expressed concern that the 14-storey property, located in a prime area of New York, has remained partially unused for years after insulators were reportedly removed from the building.
According to him, only three to four floors of the facility had been operational, depriving the state of substantial rental income and forcing some embassy officials to rent accommodation elsewhere.
“Madam, your building in New York is 14 floors and you used only 3 floors and that place is in Centre of New York, a very prime location. Somebody supposedly removed insulation r something ad as a result 14 floors, we use only 3 or 4 floors.
“Do you know this building, if we could use all 14 floors, the revenue that we will get from rent? Or some of our Embassy people wouldn’t have to rent from somewhere,” he stated.
He argued that fully operationalising the property could generate significant revenue for the country while reducing government expenditure on office and residential rentals.
Responding to the concerns, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister James Gyakye Quayson said the situation had improved and that the information presented to the committee was outdated.
“Your observation is a little bit way outdated. If you have not been there recently, we are using more than three floors right now,” he said.
According to him, the ministry is currently utilising about seven to eight floors of the building and is actively working to renovate and fully restore the property.
“I can assure you (currently, we are using) about 7 to 8 floors,” he remarked.
Mr. Gyakye Quayson assured the committee that the ministry has prioritised the rehabilitation of Ghana’s foreign properties as part of efforts to reduce reliance on rented facilities abroad.
“We are entering this new phase of stride where we are trying to own our property, renovate all the structures. So, it is one of our prime observations and we are going to work on it as soon as finances are released,” he added.
