Affordable Housing

The Government has planned to develop affordable housing units in districts across the country for public sector workers. The new Minister for Works and Housing, Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, gave details on Monday, when he toured sites of some six affordable housing units in Greater-Accra.

He visited projects sites including the controversial Saglemi housing units, which government is ready to cede to private developers through international expression of interest to complete them for occupancy.

This phase was commissioned in 2016, abandoned for close to a decade, company buses deteriorating and almost all inner roads of the Saglemi Affordable Housing project covered with weeds.

Building materials under the mercy of rain and sun, windows and security doors to the apartments are stolen, as well as electrical fittings. After inspection and briefing by the officials, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said arrangements have been made to prevent further stealing.

The over two-hundred-thousand dollar project planned for five-thousand housing units is reduced to one-thousand, five-hundred and two units, with no more funds left. The Minister said government will soon select a private developer to complete the project.

One-thousand, nine-hundred units of one and two bedrooms being handled by the Tema Development Corporation-TDC, will be available to the public at the Kpone Affordable Housing enclave, when phase 4, which is last on the plan is executed.

TDC, who took charge of the project in 2020, has completed one-thousand and seventy-two units, with a high occupancy rate.

TDC has also partnered the National Homeownership and Mortgage Fund to build more than four-hundred units at Community 22, near Afariwa. The Managing Director of the National Homeowners and Mortgage Fund, Mr. Dela Zumanu, said the company is partnering government to provide affordable housing units for the public, through mortgage facility, payable within twenty-years. Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said similar projects are planned for the hinterlands.

Ghana’s one point eight million housing deficit has indirectly empowered home owners to take advantage of the situation, but government says it will do everything within its power to end the unacceptable practice to save Ghanaians.