Editorial: Tackling abandoned projects is the way to go

It is pleasing to learn that government has resumed work on several stalled housing projects across the country, in a bid to address the acute housing shortage.

The goal to complete abandoned projects and provide affordable housing for Ghanaians is being spearheaded by the State Housing Company (SHC).

Minister for Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah recently toured housing units under construction by the SHC in some Accra suburbs and expressed government’s intention to revitalise abandoned projects.

This is really refreshing news because a country that is still in its development throes cannot afford to be so wasteful and witness stalled housing projects across the country when there is a quantifiable housing deficit that has to be bridged.

Like Minister Oppong Nkrumah stated: “We should not allow the little resources we have which have gone into projects to be wasted”.

For instance, the SHC Gardens or SHC Court project in Adenta initiated in 2011 under the presidency of the late President John Evan Atta Mills, has been stalled for about a decade due to disagreements between the previous SHC management, the contractor and government.

The Adenta project’s revival is part of a broader initiative to complete stalled housing projects nationwide.

The minister explained that due to limited fiscal space, government cannot necessarily bear the burden of refinancing everything. Hence, the public-private partnership approach is being applied.

Government is also focusing on developments in other regions, with plans to revive President Kufuor’s affordable housing project in Akwadum, Koforidua.

In fact, SHC aims to achieve a significant level of completion by end of the year, allowing potential homeowners to move in. By reviving stalled projects and partnering with the private sector, government hopes to accelerate the completion of these developments and make more affordable housing available to Ghanaians.

The successful implementation of this programme could provide much-needed relief to the housing market and offer new opportunities for homeownership to many citizens. This will enhance the government’s attempt to deliver on its promise of increased affordable housing options.

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