The Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, Eugene Boakye Antwi has revealed that the governments’ affordable housing project at Borteyman in the Greater Accra Region is ready and up for sale to Ghanaians.
The Deputy Minister made this known to Goldstreet Business at the opening ceremony of the 16th International Building Construction and Property Exhibition in Accra on Thursday.
In 2013, the uncompleted housing units project was handed-over to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to finance its completion.
The Borteyman project is made up of 744 single-room and 792 two-bedroom apartments. Road and drain construction, water and electricity supply, as well as a central sewage system and a market, forms part of this project.
He noted that the project at Asokore Mampong will also come on stream in the near future, as others are being tackled.
The project which started in 2006 stalled in 2008 due to lack of funding, however in 2014, construction resumed under the Mahama administration.
Mr. Boakye Antwi said the government is working assiduously to reduce the country’s housing gap of 1.7 million to the barest minimum. However, he noted that this will need the collective effort of both the private sector and government.
“We therefore need the collaboration of the various organised professional bodies in the building and construction industry to help fight this cause,” he added.
He then stressed on the need for the regulatory bodies to control the activities of practitioners in the industry, since every stage of the construction process has a direct and indirect impact on the environment.
Background
The project, consisting of more than 4,700 housing units nation-wide, was initiated under the Kufuor administration.
All the projects, including those in Koforidua, Kumasi, Tamale, Kpone and Wa, are part of an intervention to address the housing deficit in the country.
Upon completion of the Borteyman project by SSNIT, other affordable housing projects across the country are expected to be tackled.
By Joshua W. Amlanu
