The Minority in Parliament has kicked against plans by the government to get a private investor to complete the Saglemi Housing Project.
During an inspection of the project site, the Works and Housing Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, revealed plans to secure a private partner within five weeks to complete the project initiated by the Mahama administration in 2012.
According to Mr Oppong Nkrumah, an estimated $100 million is required to make the place habitable.
READ ALSO: Govt To Partner Private Investors To Complete Saglemi Housing Project
However, the Ranking Member of the Works and Housing Committee, Vincent Oppong Asamoah, has claimed that the government intends to offload the Saglemi Housing Project to its allies and cronies.
“The only thing is that they just want to reduce the price, and then they will sell it to their cronies. They are saying, oh, we are bringing in partners here and at the end of it, it is their people that are going to come in. If you go out there, all state lands and every property is going for sale under the NPP administration. Every property, landed property, is going for sale. Let’s see the end of the NPP administration, and we will see the rot,” Mr Asamoah alleged.
About the Saglemi Affordable Housing project
The Saglemi Affordable Housing Project was initiated in 2012 for the delivery of 5,000 housing units at a total cost of US$200,000,000.00 under an Engineering-Procurement-Contracting (EPC) Agreement with Messrs Construtora OAS Ghana Limited.
By the end of the stipulated completion date, the original contract of the project had been amended three (3) times, with the project scope reducing from the initial 5,000 housing units to 1,506 housing units, although US$195,854,969.52 representing 98% of the project funds had been expended.
The project, which is located at Prampram in the Greater Accra Region, was intended to reduce the country’s massive housing deficit.
It is seated on a 300-acre land with one to three-bedroom apartments for low-income earners and includes the realization of around 5,000 residential units.
It has 3-floor buildings with 6 to 9 apartments with living space ranging from 40 m² to 85 m².