In order to determine the extent of the damage caused by a recent fire at the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project, the Works and Housing Committee of Parliament, headed by Vincent Oppong Asamoah, MP for Dormaa West and the committee’s ranking member, visited the location.
The purpose of the inspection was to obtain firsthand information on the impacted area of the contentious housing project, which has been the focus of national debates because of its delayed development.
Concerns regarding the project’s security and the condition of unfinished structures have been raised by the fire event, which has further delayed the already delayed project.
Over the years, the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project—which was started to alleviate Ghana’s housing shortage—has encountered several difficulties, such as claims of poor management and insufficient finance. The committee’s visit is a component of its oversight duties to guarantee responsibility and appropriate management of public assets.
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According to Vincent Asamoah, the chairman of the parliament’s Works and Housing Committee, the committee is unaware of the conditions of the contract that the government gave to the Quarm LMI consortium to finish the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project.
He made these remarks while visiting the project site to examine the aftermath of the fire outbreak that happened at a few of the warehouses there.
“With oversight over this ministry, we decided to come to the site to also have a look at items that we have lost on site. And then just after the inspection, quickly, you know there are a lot of new members on this committee so we decided to just come to the site itself so that we can also do some inspection to know if there are additional defects in the structure.
“We’ve also heard that there’s a new contractor, a new investor that the government has procured to complete this structure. Even though we don’t know the terms of the contract.
“But it’s good we are here at least to be abreast of the situation at the moment. At least once we are, we can also comment on it,” he stated.
The committee is expected to present its findings and recommendations to Parliament in the coming weeks. This will likely reignite discussions about the future of the Saglemi project and the broader issue of affordable housing in Ghana.
