Kufuor’s abandoned affordable housing projects to be completed in 12 months – Atta Akyea

The Minister for Works and Housing Samuel Atta Akyea has announced that Government has commenced processes toward securing funding for the completion of former President Kufuor’s 2006 affordable housing units in Koforidua, Tamale and Wa.

Atta Akyea made the announcement when he took his turn at the Meet the Press series on Wednesday, 24 June 2020.

He said the various undertakings have been concluded between the Ministry of Works and Housing, Ministry of Finance and State Housing Company Limited (SHCL) on the completion of these housing projects.

“The Ministry has since transferred the three (3) Sites to SHCL for completion. We should have affordable dwelling homes within twelve (12) months”, he said.

The minister indicated that arrangements put in place by the government for the completion of the stalled affordable housing units have seen SSNIT completing 1,464 housing units at Borteyman and most recently, 1,027 housing units completed at Asokore Mampong.

“Similarly, the TDC Development Company Limited has continued the construction of 312 housing units out of the 1,584 units at Kpone-Tema. Currently, the 312 housing units are 90% complete and plans are far advanced towards completing the remaining 1,272 housing units by TDC Development Company Limited. That notwithstanding, no arrangements were put in place for the completion of the 686 housing units at Koforidua, Tamale and Wa by the previous government”.

It will be recalled that the New Patriotic Party Government in 2006 initiated the Government of Ghana Affordable Housing Programme with the objective of providing accommodation for the low-to-middle income workers of the country, creating jobs and improving incomes. The project commenced in six locations namely: Borteyman – Accra, Kpone – Tema, Asokore Mampong – Kumasi, Koforidua, Tamale and Wa. However, these projects were stalled in 2008.

On the state of the Saglemi Housing Project, Atta Akyea stated that the Works and Housing Ministry has engaged the services of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS), to among other things, take inventory of the stock of materials on site and the state of the project. He said once the audit has been completed, the Ministry will partner with the private sector to complete the 1,024 housing units on the ground.

‘The position of the Ministry is that there has been a defalcation in the sum of US$159,040,000. On the 8th day of June, 2020, we lodged a criminal complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service. We trust that the state institutions that are pursuing all issues of contractual malpractices will continue their good works to ensure that the good people of Ghana obtain value-for-money in the application of the taxpayers’ money”

The unfortunate inability of the housing delivery system via the private sector underpinned by the requisite support from government to meet effective demand over the years has created a huge housing deficit in Ghana, currently estimated to be in excess of 2 million units.