Mahama Slams Govt’s Handling of Saglemi Housing Project
Mahama Demands Transparency in Saglemi Housing Project Transfer
- Mahama criticized the NPP for abandoning the Saglemi project
- He stressed that private transfers of the project must involve discussions with the landowners
- Mahama pledged that an NDC-led government would ensure local community interests are prioritized
Former President John Mahama has voiced strong criticism of the government’s move to transfer the Saglemi Housing Project to private developers without engaging the original landowners.
Mahama emphasized that the project was initiated by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during his tenure, following thorough consultations with the people of Ningo-Prampram.
He argued that the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration has neglected the project since taking office.
“The NDC started the Saglemi Housing project after consulting the Ningo-Prampram community. Since then, it has been abandoned. Now, as they plan to transfer it to private individuals, they must engage with the original landowners,” he stated.
Mahama pointed out that, to date, there have been no consultations with the local community.
“You cannot hand over this project to a private company without proper dialogue with the Ningo people,” he stressed.
He promised that a future NDC government would ensure that any agreements concerning the project prioritize local interests.
The Saglemi Housing Project, originally aimed at providing 5,000 affordable housing units with around $200 million in funding, has faced significant delays.
Only 1,506 units were partially completed before work was halted due to a lack of essential infrastructure like water and electricity.
Recent evaluations suggest an additional $100 million is needed to finish the project, which the government has struggled to fund.
Minister of Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, announced plans to restart the project in November, with negotiations ongoing with two shortlisted developers, Quarm-LMI Consortium and Broll Ghana Ltd.
The government plans to treat the completed work as equity while the private partner’s costs will form their stake in a new entity created to complete and sell the housing units
