The Mahama-led administration started with the Saglemi Housing project but it has become a white elephant with several controversies surrounding it and the governing New Patriotic Party has also cut sod for another project at Amasaman in Accra.
Speaking on the widening housing gap, the Executive Director of Ghana Real Estate Developers Association, Sammy Amegayibor, has said there are capable men in his group that can embark on the affordable housing projects outdoored by government.
According to him, government have in the past organized stakeholder engagements with GREDA and nothing has come up from those meetings as they end up outsourcing the project for foreign nationals.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb Business at the commissioning of Lakeside Hills Affordable Housing units, Mr Amegayibor stressed that the move was laudable and showed that building affordable housing could be done with local contractors.
He stated that there are many lip services from government and do not deliver on their promise after every stakeholder engagements held with GREDA.
“Most at times, we are engaged, the advise is not taken, yo get the news somewhere that government is engaging foreign partners in delivery of Affordable Housing. I think that they learn that housing for the people can be done locally,” he told GhanaWeb Business.
“We have the capacity, it is only some minimal capacity. If you look at their price point, compare it to so-called government Affordable Housing prices and you will be amazed to see the difference between what government-assisted project are delivering and individual companies without any support from government are delivering and yet, we say we can’t deliver houses. What is it? What is it about housing? Is it rocket science? Are we going to space? These are minimum technical issues that we abound in technical men on the ground who can deliver,” he added.
Mr Amegayibor said government has failed in its quest to provide affordable houses for the poor and vulnerable in society.
He asserted that government was only interested in of sod-cutting ceremonies rather than commissioning projects.
“The only thing that is missing is commitment…There are too many lip service from our government…The 4th Republic government arrangement has been very terrible when it comes to affordable housing delivery and it is time they sit up,” he said.
SA/NOQ
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