'Over $7m worth of building materials stolen from Saglemi Housing Project site' – Sam George

Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has alleged that over $7 million worth of building materials have been stolen at the site of the now-abandoned Saglemi Housing Project.

He claims that the theft occurred under the watch of the governing New Patriotic Party which has initiated processes to sell off the project to a private developer as government claims it cannot come up with the rest of the funds to complete the housing units.

Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Joy News, the Ningo Prampram lawmaker said the Akufo-Addo government had intentionally and willfully allowed for the project to rot due to reasons only known to them.

“Over $7 million worth of building material has been stolen under the watch of this government [Nana Akufo-Addo], they abandoned the site while putting National Security and Police officers to protect the site and building materials left in there for completion of the project was stolen,” he told the host of the Joy AM Show on August 8, 2023.

He further claimed that one night, he received a call from his residents informing him about the alleged theft which he said was being perpetuated by the security officials placed at the site.

“So-called Police and National Security officials on the site had loaded a KIA Bongo truck which had loaded tiles, sanitary wares, and toilet bowls among others taken from the site. We took them to the Tsopoli Police Station and marched them on to the Tema Regional Command,” he alleged.

He continued, “…That case has died because the guys made it clear to me that they were sent by their Commanders to pick up the items and these were people placed there by the National Security.”

The Saglemi Housing project, located in Prampram comprises 5,000 housing units.

The project was originally intended to provide mortgage arrangements for the housing units to be sold to the public through the Ghana Home Loans Company.

However, due to variations in the project, only about 1,506 housing units have been completed.

In November 2022, the government washed its hands off the Saglemi housing project to allow a private developer to take over.

According to the Ministry of Works and Housing, the private developer will refurbish the housing units and sell them to potential owners.

The decision by the government has since received backlash from the Minority in Parliament, former president John Dramani Mahama and a cross-section of the Ghanaian public.

Saglemi Housing Project: Over $7 million worth of building materials have been stolen from the site - MP, Ningo Prampram, Sam George. #AMShow pic.twitter.com/AQnxDg9fUN

— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) August 8, 2023