By Florence Afriyie Mensah, GNA
Dedesua (Ash), May 09, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama has cut the sod for the commencement of the Green City Housing project at Dedesua, a community in Bosomtwe District of Ashanti Region.
The initiative by the State Housing Company Limited (SHCL) is situated on a 200 acre of land made available by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The project will deliver more than 1,000 housing units within a carefully planned integrated community.
It combines modern designs with environmental sustainability and sets a new benchmark for urban development in Ghana.
Beyond housing, it will create jobs, stimulate local enterprise and generate lasting economic opportunities across the Bosomtwe District.
President Mahama breaking the ground for the project to commence, indicated that Ghana’s housing challenge has become more pronounced and demands clarity of purpose and decisive action to resolve.
He indicated the national housing deficit is now estimated at over 1.5 million units.
“This reflects years of failing supply short of demand, rising land values, escalating construction costs and limited access to long term financing has placed ownership beyond the reach of many Ghanaians.
“The results are clear, informal settlements continues to expand, slums and to many of Ghanaians are living in sub-standard conditions.
This pressure is intensified by the rapid urbanization currently taking place in the country,” the President stated.
He said currently, more than half of Ghanaians lived in urban areas and projections indicate that this number could rise to about 70 percent of the population living in urban areas by 2050.
“Cities such as Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi will continue to grow rapidly and will be swamped by the migration from other parts of the country if we do not act urgently,” he observed.
He said the Government’s Reset Agenda was therefore a commitment to rethink how we deliver housing, infrastructure and opportunity for the people.
“Decent housing is a right for all our people. Access to housing improves public health, strengthens educational outcomes, boosts productivity and stabilizes communities,” he pointed out.
President Mahama described the project as a critical intervention that has come at the right time, adding that the housing project is not just about shelter, but about building a complete liveable community that is safe, affordable and dignified.
He mentioned that new social housing initiatives driven at the district level were being rolled out to reduce financial barriers to ownership.
Housing, he noted, must not be confined to only big cities, insisting that regional and district capitals must also benefit from such initiatives.
The President commended the Asantehene for making available the vast land for the project.
He commended the SHC Limited for being the largest single provider of housing to Ghanaians in the last seven decades and pledged the government’s support to the company to continue providing affordable housing to Ghanaians.
The Asantehene, represented by the Mamponghene, Daasebre Osei Bonsu III, commended the government’s resolve in addressing housing deficits in Ghana.
He used the occasion to warn traditional leaders, especially chiefs not to engage in sales of lands allocated for the Green City Housing Project.
GNA
Edited by Yussif Ibrahim/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Florence Afriyie Mensah
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