Complementary infrastructure challenges slowing housing delivery — SHCL MD

The State Housing Company Limited (SHCL) last Monday received a monitoring team from the Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing, which toured key ongoing housing projects in Pokuase, Amrahia and Adentan.

Led by Vincent Oppong Asamoah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Dormaa West and Chairperson of the committee, the team expressed satisfaction with the progress and quality of work at the sites and reaffirmed the committee’s support to help SHCL complete the projects and maintain affordability.

During the engagement, the SHCL Managing Director, John S. Bawah, highlighted delays in complementary infrastructure, such as roads, drainage, and water systems, as major obstacles affecting the timely completion of some projects.

“These are critical elements that must be addressed before we can finish and hand over these homes,” Mr Bawah stated. “We are counting on the government to fast-track these works.”

He further suggested that if SHCL were given clearance to construct those amenities themselves, the company could include the costs in the price of the homes.

However, he expressed caution that such a move might lead to higher home prices, which could undermine the company's mandate of affordability.

“While we’re ready to step in, we are also mindful that this could increase the cost of the homes, which goes against our core objective of affordable housing,” he added.

The committee acknowledged the concerns and pledged to escalate the matter to ensure inter-agency coordination for faster infrastructure deployment around state housing projects.

SHCL remains committed to its mission of providing affordable, quality housing across Ghana and continues to call for stronger partnerships to meet the country’s growing housing needs.