Kwabena Ampofo Appiah
Ghanaians in the Diaspora can count on the State Housing Company (SHC) for their housing needs even as they attend to their normal activities abroad.
Kwabena Ampofo Appiah, the Managing Director of the SHC while lamenting the challenges Ghanaians living abroad go through as they arrange for houses to be built for them by relations said “There is nothing more heart breaking than trusting someone with your money to put up a house for you, only to return home to meet a hut”.
He added ‘that’s the more reason SHC is taking stock of the concerns and needs of Ghanaians in the diaspora to fashion out tailor made solutions for them.’
The SHC Managing Director made the disclosure on the sidelines of the just ended Diaspora Summit at the Accra International Conference Center.
“Our friends and relatives abroad should have confidence in the SHC, buy houses from us, let’s build for you and you will never regret it”, he assured.
He said with the new vision of providing more houses, SHC was opening more Regional offices across the country in a bid to close the widening housing deficit.
“We are acquiring more lands, Otumfuo Osei Tutu has given us land in Kumasi and the Omanhene of Sefwi Wiawso has done same so we are actually poised”
He expressed appreciation to them and appealed to other traditional authorities to make lands available to SHC for construction of houses.
“The country is opening up and so we cannot do business as usual. We are taking off.” he added.
Opening the Summit, President Akufo-Addo said a bill would soon be placed before Parliament that would allow Ghanaians with dual citizenship to hold public office.
“The question of the political rights of dual citizens is a matter for Parliament and an opportunity is going to be provided soon for Parliament to address this issue,” he told the gathering, which included African and Ghanaian Diasporans, in Accra.
The summit was part of the Year of Return to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first 20 West African slaves in the United States of America (USA).