By Christiana Afua Nyarko, GNA
Accra, May 29, GNA – The Ministry of Defence has inaugurated a 16-member Policy Formulation Committee to develop a comprehensive Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) Home Ownership Policy and Scheme.
The initiative aims to address the long-standing housing deficit facing military personnel and veterans.
It forms part of government’s efforts to establish a sustainable and structured framework to support home ownership among officers, soldiers, and retired personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The committee is chaired by Brigadier General Ben Gah, the Principal General Staff Officer, and comprises representatives from the Office of the President, National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources, National Homeownership Fund, Ministry of Defence, State Housing Company, the Ghana Armed Forces, and veterans’ groups.
They include Rev. Dr. Albert Okpoti Botchway from the Office of the President; Mrs Alice Amekudzi of the NDPC; Mr Frederick Maxwell Lomotey from the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources; and Mr Prosper Hoetu of the National Homeownership Fund.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Accra on Thursday, Mr Ernest Brogya Genfi, the Deputy Minister of Defence, stated that the housing deficit within the GAF was estimated at about 14,000 units – a situation he said continued to affect the welfare, morale, and retention of personnel.
“The men and women of the Ghana Armed Forces make sacrifices that most citizens will never be asked to make,” he said.
“They serve under demanding and often dangerous conditions, separated from their families, exposed to operational risks, and frequently posted far from the communities they call home.”
Mr Genfi noted that the Government considered it a national obligation to ensure that military personnel were adequately catered for, emphasising that access to decent housing should not be treated as a privilege but as a matter of institutional commitment and national honour.
He explained that the Home Ownership Policy and Scheme was not tied to a single housing project but intended to establish a broad and permanent policy framework.
“This framework will guide financing, eligibility, governance, and institutional support systems for home ownership across all ranks and career stages within the Armed Forces.”
The policy will enable personnel to secure permanent homes before retirement and ease their transition into civilian life.
“Too often, personnel complete decades of selfless and dedicated service to the nation only to face uncertainty in acquiring a place to settle with their families,” he said.
The Deputy Minister disclosed that the Government, through the Defence Industries Holding Company (DIHOC), had initiated plans to provide about 10,000 housing units for military personnel within the next five years.
An initial phase of 2,000 units had already been commissioned under a partnership involving DIHOC and private sector partners.
Mr Genfi commended the Military High Command for initiating self-help housing projects to replace old, dilapidated colonial-era structures at Burma Camp and urged committee members to ensure that the final policy framework was practical, financially sustainable, and legally sound.
“The voices of serving personnel, other ranks, and veterans must genuinely inform your deliberations,” he noted, adding that the committee should work with urgency because personnel had “waited long enough” for sustainable housing solutions.
Brigadier General Ben Gah, Chairman of the Committee, described the assignment as both important and timely.
He noted that the welfare and long-term well-being of military personnel required deliberate and sustainable interventions, pledging the committee preparedness to work towards developing an equitable, practical, and implementable framework capable of supporting the housing aspirations of both serving and retired personnel.
“As we commence this work, I encourage all members to approach the assignment with commitment, openness, and a shared sense of purpose,” Brig. Gen. Gah said.
“I am confident that through collaboration and dedication, we will develop a practical and implementable policy and scheme worthy of the men and women of the Armed Forces.”
Documents outlining the committee’s mandate indicate that the policy framework will review existing military housing arrangements, assess affordability and housing demand, examine legal and institutional frameworks, and explore best practices in military housing schemes both locally and internationally.
The committee is also expected to evaluate various housing delivery options, including mortgage-based schemes, rent-to-own arrangements, direct construction and sale models, and public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements.
The policy formulation exercise is being undertaken in line with the Civil Service Law, 1993 (PNDCL 327), which mandates ministries to formulate sector policies under the government’s 2026–2029 Sector Medium-Term Development Plan.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe