Barbara Aisha Ayisi
The Ministry of Works and Housing has announced the possible establishment of a National Housing Fund to ensure adequate financing for the countries affordable housing programme.
The Fund, according to the Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, Barbara Aisha Ayisi, will provide a dedicated source of financing and serve as a guarantee to leverage, and also off-take private sector investment and construction of housing units that are affordable to the ordinary Ghanaian.
“Successful cases in the delivery of mass affordable housing programmes have been founded on the existence of a dedicated housing financing arrangement and I believe this will be the key to unlocking Ghana’s prospects for affordable housing provision,” she said.
Mrs. Ayisi was speaking at the opening of the 127th Board Meeting and Retreat of the Shelter Afrique, a pan-African finance institution that exclusively supports the development of the housing and real estate sector in Africa.
The Deputy Minister explained that plans are far advanced to sell the idea to Cabinet which she said is the key to unlocking Ghana’s prospects for affordable housing.
Nghidinua Daniel, Chairperson of the Shelter Afrique Board, speaking on the theme: ‘Implementation of Institutional and Legal Frameworks: the Key to successful Affordable Housing Programmes’ said the conference was to help the Board to “touch base” with key stakeholders and partners, especially the government of Ghana, which is a founding member of the Company.
He said the issue of affordable housing was not “an issue only for the government” but for all other stakeholders, and that was why Shelter Afrique, had decided to confer with key stakeholders in housing, finance and development, including members of academia, financial institutions as well as estate developers, who were already in the housing business.
He said already, the Company had invested a total of 55.6 million dollars into the housing sector in Ghana, some in technical training, some as loans for local banks to invest in the sector and some through partnerships with government in its provision of housing units.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri