As part of efforts aimed at realising government’s affordable housing agenda, the Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, yesterday commissioned a newly built housing project by the State Housing Company Limited (SHC).
The SHC built the project through its Internally Generated Funds (IGF). The housing estate, named “Urban Premier Court”, is situated at Adenta, a suburb of Accra. It is made up of 40 housing units with two, three and four bedrooms apartments.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, Mr Asenso-Boakye expressed satisfaction about the extent to which the SHC is executing its mandate of providing quality homes in thriving communities where people have a sense of pride and place.
“The SHC has, in the past few years, proven beyond reasonable doubt that is capable of providing housing solutions that are accessible and affordable to the general public. This is evident in the number of housing units it has provided in recent times,” the Minister said.
Commendation
Mr Asenso-Boakye lauded the Board of Directors and management of the company for effectively utilising their IGF to construct the Urban Premier Court and similar housing projects for Ghanaians.
“Considering the strides SHC has made in the housing industry, I am confident that, with the right financial support, the company can provide housing units on a larger scale,” the Minister said.
He disclosed that the Ministry had extensively engaged the Agence Française de Dévelopment (AFD) to provide long-term financing for the SHC and Tema Development Company (TDC)to roll out more housing units to meet the needs and financial capacity of the citizenry.
“The Ministry has developed a framework of subsiding Affordable Housing, through the provision of unencumbered land and infrastructural services to make housing affordable and accessible to a significant segment of our population,” he stated.
To this end, he entreated the SHC and all private developers to take advantage of the framework to provide more housing units for the people of Ghana.
Urban Premier Court
The Managing Director of the SHC, Kwabena Ampofo Appiah, explained that the selection of the name “Urban Premier Court” was due to the uniqueness of the location, saying “it is in the middle of an urban city; we wanted to give it that premier edification”.
“The idea of the project was started around 2011, but it was abandoned and so we decided to give it such befitting completion because the goal of the company is to build more affordable homes for Ghanaians,” he revealed.
He also commended his staff for working assiduously to push the company to new heights, reaffirming the company’s commitment to the provision housing units for the general public.
Mr Ampofo Appiah further encouraged prospective house owners to take advantage of SHC projects to acquire quality edifices at affordable rates, explaining that “projects owned by the SHC are constructed under flexible payment plans”.
“The good thing about these projects is that you have a flexible payment plan. So you go to the bank and take advantage of their mortgage plans and you pay over a period of time,” he said.
He further indicated that the task given to him, when he took over, was to transform and make the company a profitable one and build on that to increase the housing stock in the country.
“I am happy to report today that, by the grace of God, and the help of my management and hard work by the staff, the company has come from one that was barely making it to a vibrant one. We are building again; we are profitable and our staff are motivated,” he added.
