Ghana halts $200-million parliament plan after outcry

Ghana yesterday shelved plans to spend $200 million on a new parliament building following a public outcry over the cost. An online campaign by cultural figures and civil society under the banner #DropThatChamber drew widespread support that the West African nation had more pressing needs.

Parliament said it had halted the project due to the backlash ahead of a planned street protest on Saturday. “We are a listening institution and after gauging the views of the people, we decided to shelve the idea,” Kate Addo, the acting director of public affairs of parliament, said. “People should rest assured that we are listening to their concerns.

We’ve realised that people think there is no need for a new chamber now, but it isn’t as if we don’t need a new chamber,” she added. “Going forward we’ll engage people more.” Officials said the project was required to expand on the capacity of the current 275-seat facility.