The Minister for Works and Housing, Samuel Atta Akyea, says Nana Akufo-Addo’s next government is determined to reduce Ghana’s housing deficit by 40 percent.
The current housing deficit is two million housing units, the Minister mentioned.
The determination to reduce the country’s housing deficit in the next Akufo-Addo administration, Mr Atta Akyea explained, would see the private sector partnering the government to embark on that audacious development.
Samuel Atta Akyea explained the government’s future housing plans when he and Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, embarked on a facility tour of Community 25 Adom Villas and Community 26 Kpone Affordable Housing project sites to inspect on-going works.
He mentioned the opening up of some districts in the hinterland as areas where the next government’s housing projects would be taken.
“We cannot continue populating Accra. We need to resolve the challenge rural-urban migration poses to us as a country.
Speaking about the facility he inspected, Mr Atta Akyea said the least one could pay to acquire, for example, a decent two-bedroom house is US$18,000.
To him, the affordability of the houses makes sense, considering the mortgage regime associated with the acquisition.
“The government is focused on making more Ghanaians own their houses in decency than becoming permanent tenants. We don’t want to defraud by false pretences, by sinking huge monies into housing projects as can be said of some regime,” he noted.
Mr Atta Akyea was emphatic that the houses could, at the moment, be owned by public servants “because the government can track their payment through the Controller. So, this mortgage regime for the housing is primarily for public sector workers.
“That aside, a well-paid private employee can also own a house through the mortgage regime.”
He assured private sector employees of a future consideration in the mortgage regime.
Ken Ofori-Atta, on his part, expressed that the national mortgage fund would help public service workers to take loans to own their own homes.
“This government has invested in a lot of capital projects and its first term and the investment is unprecedented. We are constructing roads, expanding existing infrastructures, investing in Planting for Food and Jobs and many more revenue sucking policies.
“Against a harsh economy we inherited from the previous government, this government has done so well in all its capital investments. Our legacy shall be unmatched,” Ken Ofori-Atta said.
The two Ministers were accompanied by the District Chief Executives for Kpone Katamanso and Ningo-Prampram, officials from TDC Development Company Limited and representatives from GREDA.
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