Greater Accra Civil Servants housing project begins

04-15-08
Page 24

The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alhaji Abubakar Boniface Saddique, has cut the sod for the construction of a housing estate, estimated at $11 million, for the Greater Accra branch of the Civil Servants Association (CSA).
The project, which is being financed by VANDT Developers Limited, is situated on 540 acres at Obosomase in the Eastern Region and is expected to be completed in about nine months.
Speaking at the ceremony, Alhaji Siddique said the move by the association was in line with the government’s policy to provide decent and affordable housing to Ghanaians.
He said the government provided the affordable housing scheme to provide houses to the citizenry, adding that about 5,000 of the houses were expected to be completed by the end of this year.
He commended the Grater Accra branch of the Civil Servants Association and expressed the hope that civil servants in the other regions would emulate what their colleagues had done.
The Chairman of VANDT Developers Limited, Mr Isaac Enimil Osei Bonsu, said with housing deficits estimated at 500,000, the delivery of well-priced and affordable houses in a co-ordinated manner had become pertinent for real estate development in the country.
He said the project which started as a dream of the hardworking executives of the CSA, was a clear manifestation of the prevailing economic climate and the golden age of business being enjoyed in the country.
“For this public/private partnership, VANDT would provide financing and construct the houses and the Civi Servants Association will provide buyers who have been pre-qualified for mortgages,” he said, adding that “the pre-qualification process is still ongoing and this will involve the detailed analyses of members’ current salaries, allowances, years to retirement and ability to service a 12 to 20-year mortgage to match the requirements of prospective mortgage providers”.
The Chairman of the Greater Accra branch of the CSA, Mr James Amissah, said the project was expected to address the housing needs of civil servants.
The Chief of Obosomase, Nana Yaw Dartey, called on the government to improve the road network in the area.