Ghana
secures housing loan for workers
Accra
(Greater Accra) 07 June 2001
The
government is to build 15,000 housing units for sale to workers on hire
purchase under the New Patriotic Party's "Housing-the- people"
programme.
This is in
fulfilment of the NPP’s electoral promise to provide adequate housing for the
people.
Accordingly,
a 130 million-dollar loan agreement between the USA and Ghana was laid before
Parliament on Wednesday.
Euro-Am-Corporation,
Delaware, USA is offering the facility, which has zero per cent interest rate
and a two-year moratorium with repayment period of 10 years.
The
Ministry of Finance has confirmed it as a concessionary loan with a grant
element of 42 per cent.
A
memorandum to Parliament by the Minister of Works and Housing called the
agreement "Housing-the-people - Fulfilling our electoral promise".
Ms Theresa
Ameley Tagoe, Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, laying the paper said the
project would enable the government to fulfil its electoral promise of housing
the people and create 10,000 jobs in each of the regions that would benefit.
It is
proposed that 15,000 flats of two and three bedrooms would initially be built
in Community 21 in Tema this year immediately Parliament approves the loan.
The project
would be extended to Kumasi, Tamale, Sekondi-Takoradi, Cape Coast, Sunyani and
Ho/Hohoe in that order from 2002 onwards. Five thousand flats would be built in
three regions every year.
Ms Tagoe
said each two bedroom self-contained flat would cost 7,000 dollars while a
three bedroom flat would cost 8,500 dollars.
The houses
would be built with "mortar-less blocks-stacking", a technology that
was developed in the USA and is being used in South Africa to enable that
country build one million housing units per year.
In the
allocation of the houses priority would be given to doctors, nurses and
para-medics, teachers, soldiers, police and civil servants in that order and it
is aimed at slowing down the exodus of trained Ghanaians to greener pastures
abroad.
Ms Tagoe
urged Parliament to approve the loan.
The
Speaker, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey referred the agreement to the Joint Committee of
Finance and Works and Housing.
GRi../
Send your
comments to news@ghanareview.com
Accra
(Greater Accra) 07 June 2001
Mr Kwadwo
Balado Manu, NPP-Ahafo Ano South, on Wednesday laboured to justify both smoking
and the need to ban it.
"Smoking
is bad and I think it should be banned but as we all know, the production of
cigarette is a source of employment and national income. Okay, a total ban may
not be good enough."
The member
was contributing to a statement made by Mr Akomea Kyeremanteng, Chairman,
Committee on Health, to commemorate the "World no Tobacco Day".
To smoke or
not to smoke is one of the controversies sapping the energies of most third
world countries now faced with huge health bills and the threat of declining
tobacco industries that rake in substantial incomes.
Mr Manu,
after running round the subject for sometime, offered a truce for himself:
"I think smokers should be segregated from non-smokers in public
places."
"They
should be isolated so that they could enjoy the pleasure and hazards that go
with smoking. Those of us who do not smoke should not bear the brunt of a
smoker's pleasure."
Other
contributors called for a ban on smoking.
GRi…/
Send your
comments to news@ghanareview.com