Ghana: Govt Committed to Ensuring Sustainable Housing - Works & Housing Minister

14 November 2022
GhanaToday (Accra)
By Bala Ali

The Minister for Works and Housing, Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, has reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring a robust and sustainable development of public works and housing infrastructure in the country,

The Minister, therefore, called for greater respect for rules and regulations governing the country's settlement planning and development control, while admonishing citizens to manage household solid waste properly.

Mr Asenso-Boakye said this at the Minister's Briefing Programme to update recent developments in the Works and Housing sector in Accra on Sunday.

The Minister disclosed that the government was considering selling the Saglemi Affordable Housing, which was initiated in 2012 for the delivery of 5,000 housing units at a total cost of US$200,000,000.00 under an Engineering-Procurement-Contracting (EPC) Agreement with Messrs Construtora OAs Ghana Limited, to a private entity to ensure its completion.

The contract was later reviewed to reduce the housing units to 1,506. Nonetheless, USD195,854,969.52 representing 98% of the initial value had been expended.

Meanwhile, a technical assessment report by the Ghana Institution of Surveyors in September 2020, valued the total cost of works on-site at US$64,982,900.74.

The minister further disclosed that a comprehensive assessment of the project reveals that government would have to spend an additional amount of approximately USD46 Million to provide off-site infrastructure such as water, electricity and storm drains to make the housing units habitable.

"Additionally, there is the need to invest approximately US68 Million to complete the buildings and other essential on-site infrastructure works," he added.

He noted that the funds expended on the project were so much saddled with discrepancies that the government did not intend to further sink taxpayers' monies into it.

He said should the decision be finalized; the project would be sold at its current value and the proceeds would be invested into the government's affordable housing programmes.

Mr Asenso-Boakye said that a Technical Working Team, composed of professionals has been set up to oversee all the necessary engagements required for the completion of the project.

Read the original article on GhanaToday.

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