About 100,000 housing units are to be constructed within the next four years across all the 16 regions of the country.
In relation to this, a memorandum of understanding was on Tuesday signed between a Ghanaian construction company, HS Kodana Company Limited and a Turkish-based company, Sidre EPCM Investment Tourism Incorporation, to pave way for the commencement of the project.
Witnessing the signing ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, Madam Freda Prempeh, said Ghana was battling with a housing deficit close to two million.
She said for Ghana to bridge the gap, there was the need to supply Ghanaians with about 100,000 units every year.
She said the two companies had agreed to put up 5,000 units for the people of Ghana at Ojobi, a community near Kasoa, in the Central Region
Madam Prempeh indicated that land acquisition had been a major challenge for the housing industry, “hence the ministry has taken it upon itself to acquire lands across the country, so as to make it easier for investors to secure lands.”
Referring to the State of the Nation Address last week, during which the President announced a one billion dollar housing project for Ghanaians, the deputy minister said her outfit intended to roll out more than 100,000 units this year.
She said the investors had been taken to the site already, and hoped that by the end of the year the ministry would be able to roll out not less than 50 per cent of the 100,000 units.
The deputy minister said the project was targeted at lower and middle income earners, while ensuring that young people have a place to lay their heads.
She was optimistic that the agreement would provide employment for Ghanaians, and ensure a transfer of technology to boost Ghana’s economy.
The Director of Communications at HS Kodana Company Limited, Sydney Kofi Ofei-Sah, said his outfit would commence with a minimum of 25,000 housing units at sites allocated them by the sector ministry.
He said, to ensure the security of their investors, the Ministry of Works and Housing in consultation with the Ministry of Finance, would issue the requisite guarantee of international consequence via a bank agreeable to all stakeholders relating to each year’s deliverables of housing units.
Also, Mr Ofei-Sah said HS Kodana Company Limited had engaged and signed agreement with Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) firms who were waiting for them to deliver.
He pledged his outfit’s commitment to the project and assured Ghanaians of delivering the estimated number of houses given them on schedule.
Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) is a particular form of contracting agreement used in some industries where the EPC contractor is made responsible for all the activities from designing, procurement, construction, commissioning and handingover to the end-user.
The president of Sidre EPCM Investment Tourism Incorporated, Muslum Dindar, said his outfit would merge the technologies of both countries to build quality and affordable houses.
He said his company was willing to work with Ghanaians and transfer the knowledge of Turkish technology and work hard to add value to Ghana’s economy in terms of infrastructure.
BY JEMIMA ESINAM KUATSINU
