The Minister of State in charge of Works and Housing Dr. Freda Prempeh has called on private developers who intend to partner government in the provision of affordable housing to explore the Ministry’s Land Bank Acquisition Programme.
The Programme, the Minister explained is to identify and secure suitable land banks with the unencumbered titles through engagements with appropriate authorities, provide infrastructural needs of the lands and declare them as Affordable Housing Enclaves for developers for the delivery of affordable homes.
The Minister made these known when she delivered an address at the opening of the 18th International Building-Construction Exhibition today in Accra.
Government aim, she stated, is to encourage a more efficient and affordable approach towards construction, and to ensure that the sector churns out residential and commercial properties both quantitatively and qualitatively.
The Minister observed that the Building and Construction industry has over the years been without a regulator, which has turned the sector into an easy avenue for unlawful activities, thereby depriving the government of the requisite revenue for developmental projects.
Dr Freda Prempeh said the establishment of the Real Estate Agency Council, following the promulgation of the Real Estate Agency Act, is to regulate the real estate agency practice which covers sales, purchases and the rental of real estate and related fixed assets.
“As Government continues to draw programmes and formulate policies to regulate the sector, I implore our experts and institutions to ensure that stern measures through their ethics and codes of conduct are applied against individuals and companies that seek to operate outside the norm”.
” The Minister added. In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Image Consortium Marilyn Efua Houadjeto pleaded with the government to consider making basic building materials like roofing sheets, iron rods tax-exempted to enable the average Ghanaian to afford housing systems especially in an era where accommodation has become a challenge for individuals in the urban metropolises such as Accra”.
She added that the exhibition fair was designed to give prospective homeowners an opportunity to explore a variety of options as well as aid the industry players to recognize opportunities in the building and construction sector.
Source|osimpamfm.com|Richard Owusu Tawiah
