Government has adopted the Tamale Housing Scheme by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with a local contractor, PUMPTECH to replicate the scheme across the country.
Deputy Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Mr Nii Lantey Vanderpuye signed on behalf of government while Osman Sahanunu, the project coordinator signed for the company.
All Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies have been directed to replicate the scheme and a total of 21,600 housing units are expected to be built.
[contextly_sidebar id=”JkW1POcfEIvdnlMPsxgS2dAXTTuJRGjB”]The scheme was initiated by authorities of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly in collaboration with the Water and Sanitation for Africa (NGO) to build affordable housing for members of unionized groups in the area.
The Assembly started with an appreciable number of housing units with the intention to increase the number to over 100.
Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Julius Debrah said he was impressed with the initiative and in consultation with President John Mahama floated the idea which necessitated the signing of the MOU.
He commended the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly for being the pacesetter.
Julius Debrah decried the nation’s soaring housing deficit but implied that government will fix the problem through the adaptation of the Tamale Housing Scheme.
He said government was poised to provide decent and affordable shelter to ease the accommodation burden on majority of the populace.
According to him government will not source donor funding to execute the projects and that local and appropriate technology will be applied.
The originator, MCE for Tamale, Abdul Hanan Gundado said each 2 bedroom apartment would cost GHC20, 000 which could be paid in installments.
He thanked some chiefs in the Tamale Metro Area for donating free lands for the extension of the housing scheme.
He hinted that the first beneficiaries will use seven years to service the mortgage.
Programmes Director of PUMPTECH, Osman Sahanunu thanked government for recognizing their occupation
“We are very grateful to the government of Ghana for descending far to identify this our potential which we have been trying to develop over the years: little did we know that this our modest effort in Tamale to achieve affordable housing will be realized or noticed by government.”
Osman Sahanunu stated, “We know that this will serve as an opportunity for us to grow our business as local entrepreneurship and then also it will afford us the opportunity to transfer our technical expertise and knowledge as far this technology is concerned to our brothers and sisters who are running round looking for jobs.”
He estimated that a total of 130,000 unemployed people will be employed within a year.
“In a nutshell it will also increase employment because currently the project we are doing with WSA, we are using over 600 people and so if the numbers to be used of 21,600 housing units across the country then we will be able to say that we have employed over 130,000 people in one year alone and we think that that will not be a mere achievement.”
Osman Sahanunu posited that the objective of reducing the cost of housing will also be achieved because local materials will be used to build the houses.
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/Citifmonline.com/Ghana