The Minister for Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye has reassured of the government’s commitment to tackling the increasing national housing deficit that confronts the country, especially in urban areas.
The sector minister disclosed that the government is currently expediting efforts that will see to the completion of all existing but stalled housing projects dotted across the country.
The Works and Housing Minister made these known during the Minister’s Briefing programme organised by the Ministry of Information yesterday in Accra.
As part of efforts to complete all stalled Affordable Housing projects, Mr. Asenso- Boakye disclosed that the Ministry, having commissioned the TDC Development Company Limited (TDCL), to continue with the second phase of the Kpone Affordable Housing Project (3,016 housing units), has now completed a total of 57 blocks made up of 904 flats.
“Similarly, work on the Affordable Housing Project site in Koforidua by the State Housing Company (SHC) Limited, has resumed and it is expected that work will soon resume on the Tamale and Wa sites,” the Minister added.
Following recent calls on the urgent need for government to complete the Saglemi Affordable Housing, Mr. Asenso-Boakye explained that the Ministry is considering various options available for the completion of the project, adding “a proposal has already been presented to Cabinet and we are hopeful that soon, we should bring some finality to this issue”.
All these processes, the sector minister indicated, is to ensure that Ghanaians obtain value for money in the application of the taxpayer’s money.
Government, through the Ministry has initiated a new affordable housing strategy that sees the state facilitating the provision of land, infrastructure services as well as tax incentives and exemptions to subsidize the cost of construction of housing units.
While preparatory works are currently ongoing on 403 acres of land secured at Pokuase-Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region and Dedesua in the Ashanti Region for the implementation of two pilot schemes, the sector minister said feasibility studies, detailing planning scheme, infrastructure plan as well as requisite statutory and regulatory approvals are being developed and pursued.
On the Government proposed District Housing Programme which will see public servants in the districts have access to safe, secure and decent accommodation, Asenso-Boakye revealed that processes for the construction of rental housing units have commenced with the pilot phase expected to be implemented in sixteen (16) districts across all the regions of the country.
