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* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.
Requirement Details
Procedure 1.
Submit application for permit from the Land Commission
Time to complete:
90 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Land Commission
Comment:
Before the approval process commences at the Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD), the department must confirm that the land where the warehouse is to be located belongs to the applicant. To do so, the TCPD will provide the applicant with a letter to be submitted to the Land Title Registry/Land Commission along with the applicant’s site plan. The TCPD requires stamps from the Land Commission on its documents to prevent applicants from bringing in forged or outdated documents.
Procedure 2.
Apply for building permit with the Town and Country Planning Department
Time to complete:
90 days
Cost to complete:
USD 1,909
Name of Agency:
Town and Country Planning Department
Comment:
The TCPD has been decentralized, so the local level in Accra is part of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA). So, to start the approval process for the building permit, a technical committee is set up by the TCPD, including other officials within the AMA. After the technical examination, a recommendation is made to the Statutory Planning Committee (SPC). The SPC is an intergovernmental committee made up of officials from the TCPD, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Survey Department, the Fire Service, and utility companies who meet periodically to approve building permits. They are required by law to have reviewed the application within 3 months after it is submitted and to inform the applicant of their decision. Survey respondents note that, without following up on the application, hearing from the committee within 3 months is unlikely. However, applicants have the right to commence building if they have not heard anything from the committee after 3 months. In practice, many people go ahead and build without waiting for the permit.
Procedure 3.
Obtain approval of planning scheme
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
GHS 100
Name of Agency:
Comment:
Procedure 4.
Obtain approval of architectural and engineering design
The approval is issued by the Architectural/Engineering Department of the Accra Metropolitan Authority.
Procedure 5.
Obtain opinion of the public health authority
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
GHS 100
Name of Agency:
Public Health Authority
Comment:
Procedure 6.
Obtain fire protection opinion
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
GHS 100
Name of Agency:
Fire Department
Comment:
Procedure 7.
Obtain feasibility study from Electricity Company of Ghana
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Electricity Company of Ghana
Comment:
After an application, the Electricity Company of Ghana will conduct a feasibility study to determine material requirements and points of access to the local substation and to attest that the system will be able to accommodate the request. This procedure happens after construction starts.
Procedure 8.
Receive inspection after foundation has been laid
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Building Inspectorate
Comment:
Inspections are to be carried out by the building inspectors at the end of each phase of the building: foundation, floor level, lintel, roofing, and finishing. Special coupons are provided when the building permit is granted, and the builder is supposed to send the appropriate coupon to the authorities informing them of the completion of that phase so that an inspection can be conducted. In practice this is rarely done.
Procedure 9.
Receive inspection after floor level has been finished
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Building Inspectorate
Comment:
Inspections are to be carried out by the building inspectors at the end of each phase of the building: foundation, floor level, lintel, roofing, and finishing. Special coupons are provided when the building permit is granted, and the builder is supposed to send the appropriate coupon to the authorities informing them of the completion of that phase so that an inspection can be conducted. In practice this is rarely done. However, building inspectors are regularly sent to inspect buildings under construction.
Procedure 10.
Receive inspection after lintel has been finished
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Building Inspectorate
Comment:
Inspections are to be carried out by the building inspectors at the end of each phase of the building: foundation, floor level, lintel, roofing, and finishing. Special coupons are provided when the building permit is granted, and the builder is supposed to send the appropriate coupon to the authorities informing them of the completion of that phase so that an inspection can be conducted. In practice this is rarely done. However, building inspectors are regularly sent out to inspect buildings under construction.
Procedure 11.
Receive inspection after roofing has been finished
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Building Inspectorate
Comment:
Inspections are to be carried out by the building inspectors at the end of each phase of the building: foundation, floor level, lintel, roofing, and finishing. Special coupons are provided when the building permit is granted, and the builder is supposed to send the appropriate coupon to the authorities informing them of the completion of that phase so that an inspection can be conducted. In practice this is rarely done. However, building inspectors are regularly sent out to inspect buildings under construction.
Procedure 12.
Receive inspection at the end of the construction
Time to complete:
30 days
Cost to complete:
GHS 600
Name of Agency:
Building Inspectorate
Comment:
Inspections are to be carried out by the building inspectors at the end of each phase of the building: foundation, floor level, lintel, roofing, and finishing. Special coupons are provided when the building permit is granted, and the builder is supposed to send the appropriate coupon to the authorities informing them of the completion of that phase so that an inspection can be conducted. In practice this is rarely done. However, building inspectors are regularly sent out to inspect buildings under construction.
Procedure 13.
Obtain electricity connection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Electricity Company of Ghana
Comment:
Procedure 14.
Obtain feasibility study from water and sewage
Time to complete:
30 days
Cost to complete:
GHS 1,000
Name of Agency:
Ghana Water Company Ltd.
Comment:
Obtaining a feasibility study from water and sewage happens after construction starts.
Procedure 15.
Obtain water and sewage connection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Ghana Water Company Ltd.
Comment:
Procedure 16.
Obtain feasibility study from telephone company
Time to complete:
30 days
Cost to complete:
GHS 200
Name of Agency:
Ghana Telecom
Comment:
Obtaining a feasibility study from the telephone company happens after construction starts.
Procedure 17.
Obtain telephone connection
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Ghana Telecom
Comment:
Procedure 18.
Submit As-Built Drawings to Accra Metropolitan Assembly
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Accra Metropolitan Authority
Comment:
The typical construction project in Ghana involves three entities: the owner, the contractor, and the consultant for the project (who provides supervision on behalf of the owner). Since the case considered here assumes that the owner and the contractor are the same entity, there is no reason for the consultant to be taken into account. The consultant performs all the inspections during construction. Therefore, those inspections are not included here. On completion of the project, the contractor prepares as-built drawings and forwards them to the AMA and the owner. The consultants for the project approve the project as meeting specifications and issue the completion certificate.
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