The Ministry of Works and Housing Tuesday held a short farewell ceremony for its former Minister Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye during which he gracefully passed the baton to the newly appointed Minister, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
In his brief remarks, MrAsenso – Boakye who takes over as the newly appointed Minister of Roads and Highways expressed gratitude to the ‘selfless dedicated staff and management of the Ministry for their unwavering support during his tenure, and urged them to extend the same cooperation to the incoming Minister.
He recounted how the ministry, which primarily deals with public infrastructure, suffered from underfunding because of the adverse impact of COVID 19, on the country’s finances, but that notwithstanding, he added that the ministry chalked some modest achievements during his time.
The new Minister of Road and Highways mentioned the establishment of the National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS), aimed at assisting low-to-middle income earners with rent advance payments, thus enhancing housing accessibility stressing that the NRAS has benefitted 1,492 individuals as of January 31,2024.
According to him, his tenure saw the transformation of the Hydrological Services Department into the autonomous Ghana Hydrological Authority through the passage of the Ghana Hydrological Authority Act, 2022 (Act 1085), a move that he noted, has significantly bolstered water management practices across the nation.
Additionally, the establishment of the Real Estate Agency Council (REAC) under his leadership was to regulate real estate transactions and also promote transparency and adherence to standards in the real estate market.
“Efforts to review and amend the Rent Act, 1963, and the Rent Control Law, 1986, are underway, with a draft Bill currently before parliament, aimed at removing the inherent constraints and stimulating private investment into the sector,” MrAsenso stated.
He added the rent control has been working on the digitization of the Rent Control Department to better serve the public; and the their digitized operations will commence next month.
Asenso-Boakyewho is the Member of Parliament for Bantama in the Ashanti Region, said he also initiated steps towards the establishment of the Ghana Housing Authority (GHA) to regulate, plan and manage public housing including affordable housing particularly for low-to-middle income earners.
This, he mentioned has received cabinet approval and it’s on its way to parliament for consideration and approval adding that the ministry was also successful in the passage of new building regulations with the view ensuring a resilient built environment.
Noteworthy among his initiatives is the revised National Affordable Housing Programme, which seeks to subsidize housing for Ghanaians through the provision of land and infrastructure and invites the private sector to come, build and sell at an agreed price. The first project under this programme is the Pokuase affordable housing project which is to build 8000 housing units. Infrastructure works are currently going on at the site.
He mentioned the Redevelopment Programme of housing units built for public sector workers at various locations, including Ridge, Airport Residential Area, Ringway Estate and Lartebiokorshie, 112 apartment units are currently under construction in Accra.
The Incoming Minister, Oppong Nkrumah commended Asenso-Boakye and the Ministry staff for their remarkable achievements despite the economic challenges, promising to build upon their successes in service to the nation.
ENDS
Photo: FAREWELL CEREMONY 1/SAMBA 21-02-24
Caption: 1 MrAsenso-Boakye in a symbolic handover at the ceremony
Caption 2: MrAsenso-Boakye and Oppong –Nkrumah with staff of the ministry
