May 11, 2026
WA, Upper West Region — Members of Parliament’s Judiciary Committee, led by Nkwakwa MP Hon. Joseph Frimpong, have expressed fury after an inspection of the Upper West High Court complex revealed the project was nowhere near the “90% complete” status reported to Parliament last December, with the team also slamming the building’s failure to meet disability access standards.
Members of Parliament’s Judiciary Committee say they are “deeply disappointed” after a working visit to the Upper West Region exposed major gaps between official progress reports and the reality on the ground at the ongoing High Court complex.
The committee, led by its chairman and Member of Parliament for Nkwakwa, Hon. Joseph Frimpong, visited the site in Wa this week expecting to see a nearly furnished edifice. Instead, they met an uncompleted structure still undergoing construction — five months after Parliament was briefed that work was 90% done.
“Team to this side. Disappointed — what we were told in Accra is not what we are seeing here,” one committee member told Home radio network at the site. “All the members here will attest to that because we were told the work was 90% done. We’re in December last year and we are in the fifth month. And look at the state of the building.”
“Not Disability-Friendly”
The MPs were particularly incensed that the building, in its current state, fails to meet accessibility requirements for persons with disabilities — a direct breach of Ghana’s laws.
“Besides, that building is not disability friendly, and it is in our laws that every public building must be accessible so that everybody can have access,” the MP stressed. “That’s not what we are seeing here.”
The Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) requires all public facilities to be accessible. The committee says the High Court complex, as it stands, would exclude citizens with mobility challenges from accessing justice.
Payments Based on “False” Reports
Hon. Frimpong confirmed that the committee had in December 2023 been informed by consultants that the project had “stalled but was 90% complete,” with the contractor presenting outstanding certificates for payment.
“I know we gave them a period to complete. I thought we are coming to see a building that is well furnished, but that’s not the case,” a committee member said.
“So it’s good that he came here today to have firsthand knowledge, rather than sitting in Accra approving monies that are not working.”
While acknowledging that some work is ongoing — citing the construction of a retaining wall and moldings prepared for finishing works — Hon. Frimpong said the evidence does not support the 90% completion claim used to facilitate payments.
“Yes, it is true that there is a building and it is true that work is going on,” he said. “We are seeing some work in terms of the surroundings. But our disappointment is in the fact that the last time we met in Accra in Parliament, we were informed the work was 90% complete and the contractor had outstanding certificates.”
Committee Demands Audit, Sanctions
The Judiciary Committee is now calling for an immediate independent audit to establish the true percentage of work done. They also want a revised completion schedule, a clear plan to make the building disability-compliant, and a freeze on further disbursements until discrepancies are resolved.
“We cannot continue to approve money based on reports that don’t match reality,” one MP said. “This is a High Court — the temple of justice. It must be accessible to all Ghanaians, and it must reflect value for money.”
The Ministry of Justice and the contractor are yet to respond to the committee’s findings.
