Francis Asenso-Boakye, Minister for Works and Housing.
THE MINISTRY of Works and Housing has responded to a
video circulating on social media regarding the supposed abandonment of the Saglemi Housing Project.
The video showed houses said to have gone rot under the Saglemi Housing Project.
The 2020 Presidential candidate of APC, Hassan Ayariga recorded the viral video, decrying the state of the buildings amid threats to have the apartments occupied by Ghanaians if President Akufo-Addo fails to ensure that work resume on the project within a week.
He asked Ghanaians to “move and come and start living here” if the government fails to finish work on the project within a month.
“Just move and come and occupy! This is sad. This cannot be acceptable. I am giving them enough time if not I will take control of this [place], clean the whole place and rent the whole place out. Rent it out. I will just rent it out. I don’t care. I will just rent it out”, he threatened.
But reacting to the contents of the video, the Minister for Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, stated that the Akufo-Addo-led government upon assumption of office in January 2017, recognized the urgent need for the rapid resolution of the challenges facing the project, for the properties to be completed and made available to the citizenry.
He recounted that contrary to popular opinion, records show that there have been not less than 20 public engagements by the Ministry including periodic updates at the Meet-the-Press series since 2017; joint press tours of the site; statements and responses to urgent questions on the floor of Parliament; and in-person interviews at various media houses among others.
“In all of these events, the Ministry has not shied away from outlining the ills of the project and the remedial actions the government has been undertaking towards the goal of completing and availing its occupation,” the Minister reported.
Setting the records straight, Mr Asenso-Boakye disclosed that the Ministry in 2017 alleged anomalies in the execution of the contract leading to a significant shortchanging of the state, running into tens of millions of dollars debt.
The original target of the project of 5,000 units at a total cost of US$200million as stipulated in the financing agreement presented to, and approved by Parliament had “surreptitiously, and drastically” reduced to 1,502, of which 1,389 units had been completed without a commensurate reduction in the overall loan financing, adding that currently, an amount of approximately, US$197million representing 98 per cent has been expended on 1,502 units as against the planned 5,000 units.
Although the financing of the project had largely been exhausted, an initial technical audit by the Ministry revealed the lack of primary infrastructure including water supply and electricity to the Saglemi project site thus limiting the utility of the development.
The Ministry thus tasked the Ghana Institution of Surveyors to conduct a cost and technical audit of the contract executed by the contractors in the context of the variety of agreements and commitments made by the parties to the project.
Upon completion of the audit, the Ghana Institution of Surveyors estimated that an approximate amount of US$32million would be needed to complete the project.
The Ghana Institution of Surveyors identified several unmet activities that were the responsibility of the Contractor, and a press conference was held to this effect.
Based on the foregoing, and given the absence of the critical primary infrastructure, the Ministry sort the advice of the Attorney General who subsequently recommended for the issue to be referred to the Police CID for criminal investigation. However, having understood the complexity of the issues surrounding this project, upon assumption of office as the sector Minister for Works and Housing, he directed the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited, an agency under his Ministry, to validate the report of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors and advice accordingly.
He said as recently as March 18, he visited the project site and acknowledged the urgent need to complete the project, notwithstanding its numerous complexities.
“The Ministry finds this video to be a grandstanding gesture laden with diabolical intent, to say the least.
The Ministry will ask the general public not to be wooed by the populist appeal by the producers of the video in question to indulge in recklessness in the name of forced occupation of an incomplete development since, in the absence of the primary infrastructure, it has consequences for their health and safety”, the Minister pleaded.
By Nii Adjei Mensahfio