Organised Labour has urged the government to offer the Saglemi Housing project to workers in order to meet their housing needs.
In November 2022, the government announced plans to withdraw from the Saglemi housing project, allowing a private developer to refurbish the units and sell them to prospective buyers.
Sector Minister Francis Asenso-Boakye stated that the decision was made because it was exhausted and handicapped and could not make any further commitments to the Saglemi project.
Speaking on behalf of Organised Labour at the 2023 May Day Parade at Accra’s Independence Square, Freda Frimpong, Greater Accra Regional Secretary of the Council of Labour, said the government must make meaningful use of the project.
“Hon. Minister, please do whatever you can to make the Saglemi Housing project useful for Ghanaians, we cannot allow that project to go to waste when so many workers who have contributed to Ghana’s development cannot have places to lay their heads.”
The Saglemi housing project was launched in 2012 by the NDC government, with a goal of 5000 housing units.
This did not materialise as a result of the alleged misappropriation of funds.
Meanwhile, Collins Dauda, a former Works and Housing Minister in the Mahama administration, is currently on trial with four others for allegedly causing financial loss to the State in the controversial housing project.
Mr. Dauda and the four others are being charged with 52 counts of criminal misapplication of public property, wilfully causing financial loss to the Republic, and dishonestly causing loss to public property.
Alhaji Collins Dauda and his successor, Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah, have been accused of spending more than $196 million on the Saglemi housing project, despite the fact that investigations revealed that the cost of works completed on the site, including consultancy services, was approximately $64,982,900.77.
