
Job 600 is a Government building in
Accra
Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...
,
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
.
The post-independence structure, which is just behind the
Parliament House
Parliament House may refer to:
Meeting places of parliament
Australia
* Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia
* Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia
* Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland
* P ...
, was commissioned by
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, in 1965. The building underwent massive renovation
[ to serve as an office complex for Members of Ghana's Parliament and was completed in 2016.
]
History
Job 600 was constructed to serve as the venue for the 1965 meeting of the Organization of African Unity
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; , OUA) was an African intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 33 signatory governments. Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and ec ...
. It is estimated to have cost more than £4 million. Dr. Nkrumah believed that the building would showcase Ghana as a country with the potential and ability to host international events, and a demonstration of Africa's growing technical capabilities.[
]
Renovation
In 2007 the John Kufuor
John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (born 8 December 1938) is a Ghanaian politician who served as the tenth president of Ghana from 2001 to 2009. He was the fifth chairperson of the African Union from 2007 to 2008 and his victory over John Atta Mills at t ...
administration secured a loan facility of a 25 million US dollars from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust for the renovation of the structure. The government stated that upon completion the ''new'' Job 600 would serve as an office complex to house the Members of the Ghanaian parliament.
Financial cost
The cost of the project was initially estimated at 62.8 million dollars. In 2011, the estimate for renovating the building was adjusted upwards by 39 million dollars. The increased cost was due to inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...
.[
]
End structure
In addition to the original 1965 structure, the ''new'' Job 600 will have two new blocks built behind it. One of the new blocks will serve as an auditorium while the other will house a gym
A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...
, restaurants, a fire station
__NOTOC__
A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire apparatus, fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equ ...
and banks. The complex will consist of 252 offices for members of parliament and offices for research assistants and secretaries. The entire structure will be completed in August 2012.[
]
Suggested naming rights
Prior to the completion of the job 600 project, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu
Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu (previously known as Lawrence Addae and born on February 3, 1957) is a Ghanaian urban planner and politician. He was the majority leader in the Ghana Parliament, Ghanaian Parliament until he stepped down on 21 February 202 ...
, the minority leader in parliament, proposed the renaming of the main Job 600 building. He suggested the building be named after the first speaker of Ghana's fourth parliament, Justice D. F. Annan, to honour the contribution he made towards the development of parliamentary affairs and democracy in Ghana.[ He also proposed that one of the two new blocks that were built behind the main Job 600 be named after ]Peter Ala Adjetey
Peter Ala Adjetey (11 August 1931 – 15 July 2008) was a Ghanaian politician and lawyer. He served as Speaker of the 3rd Parliament of Ghana's Fourth Republic from 2001 to 2005. A member of the New Patriotic Party, he was the party's National ...
, who succeeded Justice Annan. Opposition to these naming issues was led by members of the Convention People's Party
The Convention People's Party (CPP) is a socialist political party in Ghana based on the ideas of the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. The CPP was formed in June 1949 after Nkrumah broke away from the United Gold Coast Convention (UGC ...
, who believed renaming Job 600 would erase the contributions of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah from Ghanaian history.
Pre-completion disaster
On Friday, 11 May 2012, months prior to completion, fire broke out on the fifth floor of the building. Witnesses reported that the fire started in the early hours of the morning. It took several minutes before firemen from the Ghana National Fire Service were able to bring it under control.
Inauguration
The building was officially inaugurated by John Dramani Mahama
John Dramani Mahama (; born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician who has been the 14th president of Ghana since January 2025. A member of the National Democratic Congress (Ghana), National Democratic Congress (NDC), he served as the 12th p ...
on 6 November 2015
Job 600 Annex
On Tuesday 3 November 2020 President Nana Akufo-Addo
William Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ( ; born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who served as the 13th president of Ghana from January 2017 to January 2025. He previously served as Attorney General of Ghana, Attorney General from 2001 to 20 ...
commissioned a 6-storey annex for the purpose of housing the extra activities of parliament. It is one of the Physical Infrastructure Enhancement Projects of Parliament. There is a 150-seat hall with a media room and archives in the basement. There are 54 offices, 11 offices for supporting staff, 26 offices for Parliamentary Support Staff and 36 offices for research assistants.
Amenities
The building upon its completion had the following amenities:
* 300-seater auditorium
* Gymnasium
* Commercial bank
* Clinic
A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care needs ...
* Church
* Mosque
A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard.
Originally, mosques were si ...
* Restaurant,
* MPs’ dining room
* ICT centre
References
{{reflist
Government buildings in Ghana
Buildings and structures in Accra
Government buildings completed in 1965