Affordable housing for Ghanaians nears completion

The Minister for Water Resource Works and Housing, Hackman Owusu Agyeman and his deputy Cecilia Dapaah, have toured project sites at Borteyman, a suburb of Nungua, where about 120 single and two bedroom flats of affordable housing units are being built to solve the accommodation needs of Ghanaian.

The project, which is being funded with money from the HIPC funds, consists of about 1,400 units of one-bed room and two bed-room flats in 4-storey apartment blocks, most of which were almost half way completed at the time of the visit. Briefing the press, Mr Owusu Agyeman observed that he is impressed by the extent of work and pace with which some of the contractors were working. However, other contractors who are yet convince the Minister of having done their jobs well have been served warning notices to start working on 24 hour daily basis to complete their assignments on schedule. Their contracts will be revoked and work re-awarded to other contractors, if by the deadline, which is six months away, they are not able to perform.

Another area of concern to the Minister during the tour was the fact that some unscrupulous persons have already encroached on the vast plot of land the government had acquired and have started constructing their own private buildings on it. Mr Owusu-Agyemang who seemed quite disturbed by that did not mince words at all in warning such persons to desist from continuing with their various projects, saying that the Lands Commission and the Attorney-General will be informed about the development, so they could deal appropriately with those persons.

“People have to show some sense of discipline in society; how can you possibly build on a parcel of land that does not belong to you” he stressed. He also revealed that plans will have to be put in place in other government acquired areas to check others who might ignore the warnings and continue with their personal projects on government lands.

Mr.Owusu-Agyemang and his Deputies also bemoaned the unavailability of water to the area, when about ¢450m has already been paid to the Ghana Water Company to enable it extend services to the area. Calling on the GWCL to endeavour to execute the project promptly or face sanctions, he also pledged that government will ensure that the houses are occupied by people who really need them. The houses, when completed, will be sold only on owner-occupied basis. This, the Deputy Minister, Cecilia Dapaah, hoped will reduce the incidence of middle men and agents who extort money from the majority of poor Ghanaians.

“We are not going to entertain any individual or group of persons who will carry themselves as chiefs around here, after the completion of the project” she stressed.

Other social amenities such as schools, clinics, religious centres, shops and sanitation sites have all been incorporated into the project to prevent it from growing in to a shanty town.

Government has acquired two other similar sites at Kpone in Tema and Ayigya in Kumasi in the Ashanti region to construct such similar affordable housing units for Ghanaians as promised by the NPP government before coming into power.