Mahama questions Akufo-Addo's decision to abandon Saglemi Housing but building National Cathedral
Former President John Mahama has condemned President Akufo-Addo’s decision to abandon the Saglemi Housing Project and allocate over GHc500 million to the National Cathedral project.
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"It is unacceptable for Akufo-Addo to spend over half a billion cedis on a national cathedral project that has ultimately failed due to corruption and is now abandoned, yet refuses to commit funds to complete a housing project that will benefit thousands of Ghanaian families", he said in a Facebook post on Monday.
President Akufo-Addo last week cut the sod for the construction of 8000 affordable housing units at Pokuase in Greater Accra.
Dubbed the Pokuase Housing project, it is an initiative under the government’s new National Affordable Housing Programme (NAHP).
Read also: Pokuase: 8000 Housing units project under Revised National Affordable Housing Programme takes off
Through a strategic partnership with the private sector, the Pokuase project aims at providing 8,000 housing units to cater for the housing needs of Ghanaians, especially low-to-medium income earners.
At the sod cutting ceremony, President Akufo-Addo said the government would have incurred more debt in an attempt to complete the Saglami Housing Project.
“We are aware of the delays and setbacks encountered during the execution of this project. The issues about the scope of work and the money expended on the Saglemi project have been taken to the Criminal Investigations Division of the Ghana Police Service for investigation which has resulted in criminal judicial proceedings. However, in the meantime, to forestall the project from deteriorating, the Minister of Works and Housing has actively engaged the government, cabinet, the Ministry of Finance, and the office of the Attorney General on the completion of the project.”
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Mahama reaction
Reacting to the government's decision to hand over the Saglemi project to private developers, former President Mahama said the current government was abandoning it because it was a project started by the Mahama-led government.
"Knowing the NPP government, they did not want to complete the Saglemi housing project simply because it was initiated by John Mahama and an NDC administration".
He added that the government’s priorities seem misplaced, as it is willing to invest in a massive civil excavation for the National Cathedral but neglects a housing project that aims to provide affordable homes for Ghanaians.
Read the full Facebook post below:
It is unacceptable for Akufo-Addo to spend over half a billion cedis on a national cathedral project that has ultimately failed due to corruption and is now abandoned, yet refuses to commit funds to complete a housing project that will benefit thousands of Ghanaian families.
Knowing the NPP government, they did not want to complete the Saglemi housing project simply because it was initiated by John Mahama and an NDC administration.Leaders must always prioritise the well-being of their citizens and ensure that they benefit from government resources and projects, regardless of who initiated them.The misplaced priorities of a government that claims it is unable to raise money to complete the Saglemi housing project and yet is willing to spend half a billion cedis on the largest civil excavation in Africa is a humiliating slap in the face of Ghanaians who entrusted Akufo Addo with their mandate.
Just think about the countless number of Ghanaian families who could have had decent living conditions over the past 7 years and the individuals who could have had a place to truly call home in Saglemi.
