Govt commence ‘District Housing Program’ to bridge rural-urban divide

The Ministry of Works and Housing has announced the commencement of a new district housing program aimed at addressing the housing needs of both urban and rural communities.

Speaking at the Ministry of Information’s Press Briefing on Monday, September 30, 2024, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister for Works and Housing, stated, “We have started work on a new district housing program, which is one of the programs on the housing policy.

This one focuses on ensuring that we don’t just develop housing in the urban areas but also in the rural areas.”

As part of a broader strategy, the Ministry has outlined eight key priorities to tackle Ghana’s housing deficit.

These include resolving stalled housing projects, fast-tracking ongoing affordable housing initiatives, and expanding public sector housing.

The Ministry also plans to secure and expand land banks, develop a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework, and establish sustainable financing mechanisms.

“The Ministry of Works and Housing has been setting some priorities, which we believe will help us to bring the housing market to equilibrium within the next decade,” Oppong Nkrumah stated.

In a related development, the government is close to finalizing negotiations to transfer the stalled Saglemi Housing Project to a private developer for completion.

Originally meant to deliver 5,000 affordable units, only 1,506 units were partially completed. The remaining units are uninhabitable due to a lack of essential infrastructure such as water, electricity, and sanitation.

The project, which has been at a standstill, will now be completed through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), with proceeds shared between the government and the private developer based on their equity stakes.

Hon. Oppong Nkrumah emphasized the urgency of the initiative, noting that the housing deficit currently stands at 1.8 million units. He added, “Housing is not just a necessity but a fundamental right.”

With the government unable to fund the additional $100 million required to complete the Saglemi Project, the Ministry has shortlisted two firms, Quarm-LMI Consortium and Broll Ghana Ltd, for final negotiations, setting the stage for construction to resume within the next 14 days.

Below is the list of the 8 outlined priorities to tackle housing deficit;

Resolving stalled housing projects
For the ongoing affordable housing programs, we want to Fasttrack them and bring them to conclusion.
We are focusing on initiatives to expand public sector housing.
Secure and expand land banks at the ministry.

5.Develope a PPP Framework to close the housing deficit