Ho West MP blames all successive gov’ts over abandoned housing projects

Member of Parliament for Ho West, Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, has asked the Akufo-Addo administration to make it a priority to complete all the abandoned affordable houses that are scattered across the country before starting new housing projects.

Mr Bedzrah who is also a member of the Works and Housing Committee of Parliament told Dzifa Bampoh on the First Take on 3FM Wednesday April 28 that a chunk of the tax payers’ money had been injected into those abandoned projects hence, they must be completed.

He was commenting on the ongoing discussions on the abandoned Saglemi Affordable housing projects.

He said “One of the things that I have been crying for is the completion of all abandoned housing projects. We have the Kpone housing project, we have the Asokore Mampong Housing project, we have the Tamale Housing project, and we have the Koforidua Housing project. There are dotted housing projects all over the country.

“We have so many uncompleted housing projects dotted all over the country. What on earth will happen to us if dedicate our finds of construction of new houses instead of the completion of the old ones.”

He further blamed all successive government for the abandoned projects.

“I am not talking only about the current administration, I am talking about all other administrations. I am a Ghanaian, apart from the fact that I am a political person, our tax payers’ money has been sunk in those facilities, why are they not being completed?

“The current president he is not going to start new projects until the completion of the old projects, I think that is laudable, if that is it, then let us complete all other affordable housing projects that were started and then we can now think of new.”

Meanwhile, the National Tenants’ Union of Ghana has petitioned the Minister of Works and Housing Francis Asenso-Boakye to convert the Affordable Housing Project into what they call a social housing project.

Their petition to the Minister said “On the 21st of April, 2021 you made it possible for the Leadership of the Union to meet you to deliberate of matters of concern in the housing sector. We take this opportunity to commend you for opening your doors to grass organizations such as ours, though it took us over Eight (8) years under successive governments to meet the sector minister.

“With such a symbolic gesture, we are assured that your government has good intentions for Ghanaians; and we are also assured by this symbolic gesture you have demonstrated that you will not pay a lip service to the housing pledges that you and your government made in your 2020 manifesto on housing proceeding to the election 2020.

“Hon. Minister, the housing deficit of the Country has rocketed in excess of 2 million housing units and still rising at alarming rates. Experts project that, our country needs a little above 5.7 million rooms by 2025 and the current housing stock delivery by both private and public sectors stand a little over 40,000 housing units annually which in deficit of 140,000 housing units considering the required stock of 200,000 housing units annually.

“To bridge the gap, it is expected that the annual stock provided by both the private and public entities of 40,000 housing units have to increase four folds in other words, 160,000 units annually for a continuous period of 10 years from now. Hon Minister, we do not have the slightest doubts that you can’t live to expectation considering your pledge of establishing an independent Housing Authority, a National housing fund and increasing the pension fund from the current 5%.”