The Minority in Parliament has raised concerns over the new affordable housing project in Pokuase, Greater Accra Region.
The project was initiated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who cut the sod at a ceremony on Tuesday, August 1. According to Sampson Ahi, the Member of Parliament for Bodi, the project is illegal as it lacks the required parliamentary approval.
Addressing journalists in Parliament, Mr. Ahi pointed out that the project was supposed to be laid in Parliament for approval before its commencement. However, this crucial step had not been taken, leading to questions about the legality of the project.
“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 cause 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,” the MP said.
During the ceremony, President Akufo-Addo revealed that measures were being taken to complete the stalled Saglemi Housing Project, which began in 2012 in Prampram, Greater Accra Region. The project had faced financial concerns, leading to criminal proceedings against some government officials, including the then Minister of Water Resources, Works, and Housing, Collins Dauda.
President Akufo-Addo disclosed that the Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, had been given approval to search for a private entity with the necessary financial and technical capabilities to complete the Saglemi project.
The President also highlighted that Cabinet had directed the Works and Housing Minister to explore the possibility of disposing of the Saglemi Housing Project, covering 1,506 housing units, to a private sector entity at its current value. The aim is to complete the project and sell the housing units to the public without incurring any further cost to the government.
Despite this plan, the Minority in Parliament contends that the Pokuase affordable housing project’s commencement without parliamentary approval constitutes a breach of parliamentary protocols.
The Public Procurement Authority (PPA) has given approval for a transaction advisor with the required technical and financial capabilities to oversee the completion of the Saglemi Housing Project, as hinted by President Akufo-Addo during the ceremony.
The Minority further questioned the legality of the new affordable housing project in Pokuase and asserted that the lessons learned from the Saglemi Housing Project have informed the approach and execution of this new initiative.
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