David Adjaye has been ‘certified’ to work in Ghana since 2018 – Kweku Baako claims

Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide has disclosed that renowned architect Sir David Adjaye was properly licensed to practice in Ghana as far back as 2018.

The architect and his firm, Adjaye and Associates have recently been cited in huge payments from government in respect of work they have been contracted to do on the National Cathedral Project.

One of the main accusations especially by the opposition led by North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is the fact that Adjaye and Associates were not licensed to operate in Ghana and also that their contracts was awarded via sole-sourcing and without Parliamentary approval.

Addressing that issue on Good Morning Ghana programme on Metro TV, the veteran journalist disclosed that documents available to him showed that the architect and his firm were granted temporal licenses to operate in 2018, which authorization had been renewed through to 2021.

“It (the issue of licensing) has been a bone of contention because those who tend to rely on it to suggest he or his firm were not qualified to do business in Ghana, do not understand the issue they raise.

It wasn’t until late April 2022 that Sir David Adjaye, was ‘formally’ registered to practice as an architect in Ghana following his induction as a registered, licensed member of the Architect Registration Council, ARC.

The ceremony on Monday, April 25 by the regulatory body for the architectural profession, meant that Adjaye, whose firm is behind some major national projects could practise as a licensed architect in the country.

Baako explained: “Prior to the induction event, he and his firm had been granted the relevant certificates by the GIA and ARC to practice as an architect and architectural firm respectively in Ghana. And the said certificates were renewed annually from 2018 to 2021.

Baako explained further: “The induction event signified that he had fulfilled the entirety of the licensing procedures of the ARC of Ghana. In other words, nothing he or his firm did prior to the full certification was illegal or irregular or both.

“The annual licenses allowed him to practice legally to execute a specific project. I have been listening to Ablakwa and co on this angle of the controversy and apparently, they are either uninformed or ill-informed or both.”

The National Cathedral project has come under intense public scrutiny as a result of disclosure that state funds being used for the project considered President Akufo-Addo’s personal promise to God amidst Accra’s perennial flooding and an economic downturn.

According to North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, nearly GH₵200 million of the taxpayers’ money has so far been spent on the project.

Meanwhile, construction works on the Cathedral site have stalled due to the unavailability of funds.