Local governance expert, Issaka Amon-Kotei, has advised the Government to devise ways of ensuring that the Saglemi Housing Project does not stay abandoned.
The Engineer proposed the State segments the residential units and identify furnished ones which can be leased out to Ghanaians capable of managing the apartment blocks.
He explained to Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show: “I will plead with the authorities to drop their personal interests in the Ghana Government projects and look at it in another form. Let’s say with where we have gotten to in the building project, we have to segment them because some parts have already been furnished while some parts are block work. So, all the works are in stages. If say, from plot A-Z is given to say Mr. Kwesi Mensah from Happy FM as a temporal landlord, he then does the assessment and gets tenants. He then sits with them to draw up the payment plan and that is replicated for other blocks. That way, we can get people to occupy the place”.
Alternatively, he stated that if Government was to invite Ghanaians to pick and choose apartments to develop, “within some months the whole place will come back to life”.
Meanwhile, Amon Kotei has counseled that the State must make an introspection of which factors, namely bribery and corruption, politics and lack of funds, is stalling the Saglemi Housing Project and rectify that as soon as possible.
The Ministry of Works and Housing has said it will require about US$32 million to complete the abandoned 5,000-unit Saglemi housing project started by the previous government.
It said a technical audit by the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GIS) of the project, which initially had an output target of 5,000 units at a total cost of US$200 million, had estimated that additional funds would be required for its completion.
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah
