Spektra Global, a leading architectural design and construction firm, has advised Ghanaians to adopt budget-driven approaches to construction projects to curb the issues of project abandonment and cost overruns.

The Principal Architect and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Spektra Global, William Evans Halm, said in Ghana’s current economic climate, where inflation and price volatility were persistent, budgeting was not just advisable but an essential foundation for any successful construction project.

“A lot of people in Ghana don’t build with budgets in mind. They start a house, they don’t have any idea of what it’s going to cost, they are just building,” Mr Halm told the media on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Insurance House, one of the company’s recent projects.

The Insurance House is a modern, three-story office building with a single basement level, located in Kanda, Accra, Ghana.

It occupies approximately 1,750 square metres of the land and features a reception hall, banking hall, conference and meeting rooms, offices for the Ghana Insurers Association, lounges, washrooms, a restaurant and a rooftop terrace.

He explained that Spektra Global supported clients by helping them build realistic budgets that are aligned with their needs and resources.

For instance, he said in cases where the proposed design exceeded the budget, the firm worked with clients to revise the project scope without compromising on quality.

“We guarantee peace of mind and that starts with helping our clients build a realistic and informed budget. A lot of people in Ghana start construction projects without a clear sense of what they will spend.

If a client reviews the budget and finds it beyond what they can afford, we rescope the design to match their financial capacity. This ensures there are no surprises down the line,” he stated.

Inaugurating the building, the acting Commissioner of Insurance, Dr Abiba Zakariah said the new building was a symbol of unity and a deep sense of collaboration of industry players who used to work in silos.

"It was not an easy road; there were funding challenges, competing priorities, bureaucratic hurdles. And at times, downs that tested the resolve of even the most determined mind. This building stands because of a collective perseverance and unshakable unity,” she stated