Geological Survey Authority defends relocation of BoG Head Office over earthquake concerns

The authority claims that the current area occupied by the central bank is earthquake-prone and that the most recent earthquake in the country occurred near the Bank of Ghana enclave.

“The latest one [earthquake], which was the 10th of March this year, if you look at the epicentre, it was close to Jamestown, meaning that it’s moving towards the current location of the Bank of Ghana.”

For that matter, if the Bank of Ghana is being proactive by doing an assessment to find out whether the current location is suitable for a Central Bank or not, I think it is a plus for them because they must ensure the safety of the bank, the safety of the staff, as well as the safety of whatever is contained in there”, he said.

The Bank of Ghana has defended the construction of a new headquarters by claiming that its current headquarters, which was built in the 1960s, is no longer fit for purpose.

This explanation by the BoG has been welcomed by the GSSA boss, who believes that the new site designated for the new Bank of Ghana office is a good choice.

“So, if you look at the earthquake that have occurred, they have always occurred off the coastline that is into the sea and by approximation, Ridge is much further away from the coastline which is from the offshore than the current location, which is the High Street area

So, in terms of lateral displacement, the current location, Ridge location might be much safer when it comes to earth tremors, because the closer the structure to the epicentre, the more the devastating that it will cause as compared to when it’s further away from the epicentre, we may likely experience much lower devastation on the structure.”