Member of Parliament for Bodi, Sampson Ahi has said that the new affordable housing project in Pokuase in the Geater Accra Region that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cut the sod on Tuesday, August 1 for its start, is illegal.
He said the project required parliamentary approval but that did not happen before the president cut the sod for the commencement.
Addressing journalists in Parliament on Tuesday, August 1, Mr Ahi said “Under laying of papers in Parliament, this particular project is supposed to be laid in Parliament today but this has not been done which means the EPC agreement has not been approved in Parliament.
“So you have presented such a document to Parliament for approval and it has not even been laid yet they are there cutting sod to commence work. What does that mean? Is it a slap on parliament? Is it a disrespect to Parliament’s structures or what?
“We want to support any course to provide homes for Ghanaians but we will not support what is illegal. We think that what’s going on now is illegal because it doesn’t have parliamentary approval.”
During the sod-cutting ceremony, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo revealed that steps had been taken to complete the Saglemi Housing Project, which stalled since the ousting of the John Mahama-led government.
President Akufo-Addo said that the Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has been given approval to search for a private entity with the financial and technical capability to complete the project.
The controversial Saglemi Housing Project began in 2012 in Prampram in the Greater Accra Region.
However, the new government led by President Akufo-Addo raised issues about the financial propriety of the project.
This led to criminal proceedings filed against some government officials including then Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Collins Dauda.
At the launch of a new affordable housing project in Pokuase on Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo revealed that Cabinet has tasked the Works and Housing Minister to ensure the completion of the Saglemi project in order to prevent it from deterioration.
He said aside the $198 million already pumped into the project, a total of $114 million is needed for the planned completion.
“Based on these assessments and having taken into account the project location and viability, Cabinet directed the resourceful Minister for Works and Housing, Hon Francis Asenso-Boakye, Member of Parliament for Bantama, to ‘explore the possibility of disposing of the Saglemi Housing Project covering 1,506 housing units at the current value to a private sector entity to complete and sell the housing units to the public and no further cost to the govt’,” President Akufo-Addo told the gathering at the sod-cutting ceremony of the new project.
He hinted that a technical working group was set up and already the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) has given approval for a transaction advisor “with the requisite technical and financial capability to complete the project”.
“Indeed the lessons learnt form the Saglemi Housing Project have been invaluable in shaping the approach and execution of this new affordable housing initiative.”