Deputy Minister for Works and House, Freda Prempeh says the Akufo-Addo government is keen to complete housing projects started by previous governments but are yet to be completed due to fund constraints or other factors.
She stated government’s intervention is needed in the housing space pointing out the Nkrumah Flats erected by Ghana’s first president as well as the Acheampong Flats and Mr. Kufuor’s affordable housing scheme.
While the uncompleted Kufuor houses at Borteyman were handed over to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to complete and allocate to people, local banks forming a consortium have raised US$51 million to complete the abandoned mass housing structures at Wa, Tamale and Koforidua for habitation by low wage earners to reduce the country’s housing deficit according to the minister.
“The Kumasi one is about 90% complete and we’ve put together some local banks that are going to support us to finish that of WA, Tamale and Koforidua to the tune of about $51million so we’ve worked behind the scenes before coming out,” she stressed.
Her submission comes in the wake of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between HS KODANA Company Limited, a construction company and Sidre EPCM Investment Tourism INC, a Turkish Company which is to result in the building of 100,000 housing units in 48 months across the country’s 16 regions.
As part of the Ghana Affordable Housing project, 5,000 housing units are to be raised at Ojobi just after Kasoa.
The President of Turkish firm Sidre EPCM, Muslum Dindar explained this is their first project in Ghana and although small pledged to merge technologies from Turkey and Ghana to erect nice and comfortable accommodation structures for the people of Ghana.
He said with time, building materials will be sourced in Ghana but in the early stages materials will come from Turkey. He however assured of a 50-50 balance in the labour utilisation for the project.
While the investors are keen on a government guarantee for their invested sums through the Finance Ministry, government has also served notice if each year’s deliverables of housing units is not met by the construction team, the deal could be cancelled. Ghana has a housing deficit of about two million units.
By Michael Eli Dokosi/goldstreetbusiness.com
