The first 700 of the 1,500 Saglemi housing units are expected to be completed and ready for occupation by March next year, President John Dramani Mahama has assured.
He said the remaining 800 units would be completed by the end of 2027, while work would begin immediately on the additional 3,500 units to bring the estate to the 5,000 units originally envisaged.
President Mahama gave the assurance when he undertook a working tour of the housing project at Saglemi, near Tsopoli in the Ningo Prampram Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, last Thursday.
He said after almost a decade of neglect, the completed estate would provide a modern and conducive residential community for thousands of Ghanaian families.
“I want to encourage Ghanaians to register as soon as the sales portal is opened because these houses will be in high demand.
“If prospective homeowners delay, the many industries located from here through Tema and the Dawa Industrial Park will quickly acquire these houses for their workers,” he anticipated.
President Mahama said several financial institutions had developed mortgage products to support prospective homeowners, with the Home Ownership Fund and other institutions prepared to finance the 10 per cent deposit at low interest rates.
He also assured prospective homeowners that all the supporting infrastructure originally outlined for the Saglemi project would be provided to make the area a suitable place to live.
The infrastructure includes the dualisation of the Tema-Aflao Highway, a railway line linking the area, which is close to the Dawa Industrial Park, to the Tema Port, and a dedicated water treatment plant.
President Mahama said Saglemi fitted perfectly into the concept of the Green Digital City being developed by the government to create a new urban growth zone for the country.
“So many important developments are taking place within this corridor. This area is therefore evolving into a major industrial and residential growth corridor,” he stated.
The Group Chief Executive of LMI, the private firm involved in the project, Mr Kofi Aduhene, said the company was ready to begin the sales process for prospective homeowners.
“If anyone wishes to purchase a house now, we are ready to begin the sales process,” he said.
Mr Aduhene said construction was progressing steadily following the securing of the necessary materials.
He said the installation of underground electrical cabling was well under way, while other ancillary works were also being undertaken to provide modern and reliable infrastructure throughout the community.
Envisioned by the late President John Evans Atta Mills, the Saglemi housing project was launched in 2013 when President Mahama cut the sod for the construction of the first phase of 1,500 units, which were expected to be completed by August 2016.
However, following the change of government in January 2017, work on the project stalled amid allegations of corruption surrounding the US$200 million contract.
Former officials were subsequently accused of modifying the project without parliamentary approval.
FROM JULIUS YAO PETETSI, SAGLEMI
You can now read the *Ghanaian Times* and *The Spectator* newspapers digitally on [TimesNewsPlus](https://timesnewsplus.com/newspapers).
ollow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
