Government Launches BENCHH 2024
Dr. Prince Hamid Armah
GOVERNMENT is set to host the maiden edition of the Built Environment National Conference on Housing and Hydrology (BENCHH) 2024, the Ministry of Works and Housing (MoWH) has announced.
Scheduled to take place from May 27 to 29, 2024 under the theme “Enhancing Collaboration to tackle Ghana’s Housing and Hydrology Challenges,” the conference is aimed at establishing a comprehensive platform to engage with the wider public, especially stakeholders within the built environment, while showcasing the strides made by the MoWH in recent years.
It will also outline a roadmap towards achieving the vision of a robust and sustainable development of public works and housing infrastructure in the medium term.
“This conference holds immense significance as we meet to deliberate on the pressing challenges in the sector and further enhance our collaborative efforts towards tackling Ghana’s housing and hydrology challenges”, Dr. Prince Hamid Armah, Chairman for the 2024 BENCHH Planning Committee remarked.
Additionally, the conference would delve into challenges and solutions within the sector, including the housing deficit, flood management, and infrastructure financing.
As the Special Advisor to the Ministry, he intimated that the Ministry is mandated not only to develop sound policies but also supervise their effective execution, ensuring that they translate into improvements in people’s lives.
“From addressing the housing deficit to enhancing our flood resilient infrastructure and regulations, the Ministry’s efforts are linked to various sectors, driving socio-economic progress, and enhancing the overall quality of life for citizens.
“Thus, recognizing the Ministry’s diverse responsibilities highlights the importance of its endeavors in shaping the path of national development”, he noted.
“Indeed BENCHH 2024”, he concluded, “represents an opportunity for all of us to share insights and chart a course towards a more sustainable and resilient future for Ghana’s works and housing sectors. Together, through collaborative efforts and innovative solutions, we can surmount the challenges presented and pave the way for enduring progress and prosperity in our nation.”
On his part, the Chief Director of the MoWH, Rev. Stephen Yaw Osei, lamented that the menace of flooding was something quite exclusive to Accra, but now major cities like Kumasi and Takoradi have seen floods in recent years.
The conference therefore, is to “solicit views from the general public and see how best we can solve the problems once and or all as a ministry.”
He also disclosed that Ghana’s housing deficit, according to statistics from last year’s population and housing census stood at 1.8 million.
In sharp contrast, statistics also revealed that almost 12 percent of houses provided by the government are empty, a situation he decried.
The conference, he added, would also look at how best to provide affordable housing to Ghanaians so they could have a dignified place of abode.
BY Nii Adjei Mensahfio