Danger at Cape Coast Ministries building, Elmina SSNIT flats
Looking at the “Ministries Building,” as it is popularly called in the Cape Coast Metropolis, from afar, one would be certainly deceived into thinking that the facility is stronger than either the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Egypt or the Pillars of Babylon.
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However, when one enters the five-storey building, it is a different tale. The building is ‘sitting’ on a time bomb. The ministries building is one of the tallest state-owned offices in the Central Region.
It is an office complex where most of the administrative work in the region takes place. Almost all the governmental institutions in the region have their head offices located there. Over 600 people, approximately, work in the building and hundreds visit the building on a daily basis to transact business.
Among the organisations located in the building are: The Ghana News Agency (GNA), Ghana Education Service (GES), Audit Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Small-Scale Advisory Board, Information Services Department, COCOBOD; and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.
The five storey building, with two entry points, was built around early 1970s, according to sources.
Lift service
A lift that was installed in the facility ceased functioning more than 25 years ago, according to a source who pleaded anonymity. In fact, after walking from the first to the last floor, I continually took deep breaths.
The unfriendly nature of the stairs makes one wonder how our physically challenged brothers and sisters would be able to access offices when the need arises. Those who have problems with their knees would have no other option than to go back home. It is even more difficult climbing with a load.
Electrical wiring
In recent times, with the many fire outbreaks at the various marketplaces, offices and homes those in charge of the building have not taken any safety measures to prevent fires.
As I visited parts of the building, I saw that some of the electrical cables were all out of their sockets, while the switches and fuses had rusted, needing replacement. As if that was not enough, most of the offices did not have fire extinguishers and those available were in deplorable condition.
The main switch at the side of the building has also rusted. Some portions were lost, exposing the wires. It was only one office that had a fire-detection device and even that, I could tell whether it was working or not.
When I came down to the fourth floor, I saw a small box fixed to the wall with an inscription “fire”. I thought it was a fire-detection device. However, when I got near, I found that it was just an ordinary empty box.
Most of the recent fire outbreaks in the country could be attributed to electrical problems, and the conditions prevailing in this building could trigger fire outbreaks.
Cracks
The building had developed deep cracks all over, from the first to the last floor. In some cases, the iron rods had come out of the concrete which continues to wear off from the iron rods.
According to some people I interacted with, the building started generating cracks a couple of decades ago, but nothing had been done about it.
A visit to the topmost part of the building was more terrifying than those I saw below.
One would have thought that an old building such as the Ministries Building would have a mechanism of releasing the rain water that settles on top of it but it doesn’t.
They had constructed skeletal wooden gables in anticipation that the roofing would be done, so that when it rains, the water would run down through the gutters but the building had nothing like that.
However, the wooden gables had been abandoned for decades and it was rotting. Water seeped into the walls, making an already bad situation worse.
The exterior appearance of the building clearly indicates that it has not seen any major renovation since its construction. It has not been painted for decades.
During one of my visits before filing this story, I saw the Ghana Immigration Service painting their office. Probably, they are fed up with the dirty nature of the building.
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SSNIT building
A visit to the Elmina SSNIT flat was an eyesore. The danger it exposes to the occupants, especially in Block Five cannot simply be described here.
Some of the ceiling concretes had removed, while others were in the process of removing. The slabs occasionally fell from the building, exposing the iron rods.
According to some of the residents, the building leaks profusely anytime it rains.
Our attitude
A stich in time saves nine. As Albert Einstein said, “Concern for man himself and his safety must always be the chief interest of all technical endeavours.” Must we wait for the untold to happen before we act as a nation?
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Our attitude towards certain national assets are nothing to write home about. State buildings, vehicles and facilities are left unkempt and no one cares.
A couple of years ago, the collapse of the Melcom building led to the loss of 14 lives, with several others sustaining various degrees of injury.
Such incidents should teach us lessons for us to take proactive measures in ensuring the safety of our buildings, lives and propert.
Until the Ministries Building in Cape Coast is renovated, the lives of the occupants in the building will continue to be in danger.
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“Safety is not an intellectual exercise to keep us in work. It is a matter of life and death. It is the sum of our contributions to safety management that determines whether the people we work with live or die” – Sir Brian Appleton.