NPP’s 2024 housing promises not new, recycled old promises – National Tenants’ Union

The National Tenants’ Union of Ghana has expressed disappointment with the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 2024 manifesto promises on Housing, describing it as a repackaged stack of unfulfilled promises and recycled proposals.

In a statement issued by its secretary Fredrick Opoku, the union catalogues similar social housing proposals tabled by the NPP for the construction of affordable housing units to be let out on a rent-to-own and outright purchase basis with nothing tangible to show.

“In 2016, the NPP pledged to address supply-side constraints and finance the demand side of the housing by facilitating the construction of high-density, quality social, low-, and mid-income housing over the short, medium and long term,” the statement recalled.

In 2020, the NPP once again, promised to build low-income housing estates for rent and rent-to-own, following their failure to deliver on similar promises made in 2016.

The National Tenants’ Union further cast doubts about the ability of the government to provide an affordable housing scheme considering the final price tags on the units advertised for sale.

In 2023, the NPP government commenced the construction of 8,000 so-called affordable Housing Units at Pokuase. Under this project, the government secured 203 acres of public land and partnered with private investors to construct housing units that are sold in US dollars/cedi equivalent.

The pricing structure under the Pokuase housing scheme-$13,800 (GHC 215,970) for Studio apartments, $20,000(GHC 312,000) for one-bedroom units, $34,000(GHC532,100) for two-bedroom units, and $42,000(672,950) for three-bedroom units – raises serious questions about the affordability of these so-called housing options.

According to the Union, past pledges, such as the National Rental Assistance Scheme (NARAS), have not been adequately funded or implemented, it is concerned With GHC 19 million out of a GHc100 million seed money disbursed, only 1,492 persons have benefitted as of February 2024.

The union is calling for a suspension of NaRAS for a comprehensive review, citing the NPP’s failure to establish key housing institutions as well as its failure to pass relevant legislation.

“Despite their repeated promises, the NPP has failed to establish the National Housing Authority, pass the Rent Bill 2022 into law with barely three months for the 8th Parliament to recess or set up the National Housing and Mortgage Finance Company (NHMF).

With these inconsistencies, contradictions, and broken promises, the housing policy proposal presented in the NPP’s 2024 manifesto is becoming increasingly difficult to trust,” the statement added.