Okyenhene calls for provision of affordable houses in rural communities
The Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has called for the provision of affordable housing units in rural communities in the country.
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He said about 80 per cent of people living in those areas could not afford decent houses due to abject poverty. The Okyenhene made the call when the Minister of Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, paid a courtesy call on him at the Ofori Panin Fie at Kyebi, in the Abuakwa South Municipality in the Eastern Region last Tuesday.
The minister was there to introduce himself to the Okyenhene and also seek his blessings following the assumption of office in his new portfolio. He was accompanied by the Chief Director at the ministry, Rev. Stephen Yaw Osei; the Director of Works, Mark Tetteh, and other senior officials of the ministry.
Significance
The Okyenhene said it was necessary for decent houses to be provided in rural communities to attract professionals such as health workers and teachers and, therefore, urged the ministry to facilitate the process.
He said the primary objective for the establishment of the ministry was to provide decent and affordable houses for people, especially the poor and less privileged in society who could not afford decent housing.
The Okyenhene further said that a nation's development largely depended on healthy citizens, as such, it was the responsibility of the government to ensure that challenges of lack of decent housing in rural areas were addressed.
On water and sanitation, he observed that most areas, particularly rural communities, lacked potable water and well laid out drainage systems to improve livelihoods, adding that there was the urgent need to find a permanent solution to those issues.
Rationale
The minister explained that his decision to visit the Okyenhene was because of his fatherly advice to him from the time he became the Minister of Information. He called for the Okyenhene's blessings and guidance to enable him to execute his duties creditably.
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Later, Mr Oppong Nkrumah inspected some ongoing projects in the area where he observed that some workers were not in the proper gear. He urged consultants overseeing those projects to compel the contractors to provide safety gear for the workers, adding that the ministry's Works Inspectorate unit would be embarking on routine checks to construction sites to ensure safety measures were adhered to.
Among construction sites the minister visited were the Bronikrom habitat-drainage works, a modern community market centre, and a Fire Service Academy, all at Kyebi.
Writer's email: haruna.wunpini@graphic.com.gh