The Asantehene, Otumfuor Osei Tutu II has in a passionate tone implored government to create the enabling environment for citizens to own houses in the country.
Welcoming both officials of an Israeli construction team, IDM International and State Housing Company Limited, (SCHL) to the Manhyia Palace last week, Otumfuor charged government to use their partnerships with such multi-national companies to put up affordable and small unit houses for workers as well as private citizens of the Nation.
Otumfuor explained that apart from huge shortfall in the housing delivery sector, such initiatives especially in the mortgaged industry could help to address the deficit.
OTUMFUOR’S PROPOSITION:
According to him, the challenges in the housing sector had brought hardship to the ordinary people who wanted decent houses to lay their heads.
He said the current arrangement in the mortgage industry tended to put buyers at a disadvantage and rallied support for its redress.
He stressed such concerted efforts would also ensure that families could secure some decent housing at affordable prices.
OTUMFUO’S GESTURE AND ISRAELI TECHNOLOGY:
Meanwhile, the Asantehene has given the State Housing Company 200 acres of land at Pakyi, a popular town in the Kumasi-Obuasi road to construct some of the 5,000 houses the company has earmarked to build in the Ashanti Region.
This, followed a careful presentation done at the palace by the leader of IDM, Mr Timor Gerasimov who assured the King that the partnership with SCHL was to ensure they construct 20,000 small unit houses in the country.
The Israeli firm, IDM, a subsidiary of the Eldad Peri Group intends to use a hi-tech strategy to construct small unit houses within a three weeks time frame.
The company, through its head of team intimated the building of a special plant in the Country where it would manufacture the items to be used for the construction.
The Asantehene, commended the Managing Director of the State Housing Company, Dr Samuel Sarpong for spearheading such partnership with the Israeli company, noting it will create vast opportunity for the youth including artisans and masons to get employment.
BACKGROUND:
As part of plans by government to improve the capacity of the citizenry to own houses, the State Housing Company embarked on a partnership drive and landed a deal with the IDM group which was eventually signed on March 10 this year.
Under the deal which was acceded to by Dr Samuel Sarpong, Manager, State Housing Company, the Israeli Company is expected to build 20,000 small unit houses across the country.
The deal, Dr Sarpong earlier revealed has a place for local content as all workers and human resource is expected to picked from Ghana with the Israelis at liberty to recruit their own people in special areas to carry out the construction.
The project is billed to commence before December 2016, and every region in the country is expected to benefit from the deal.
