Minister inaugurates board for State Housing Company

Mr Collins Dauda, the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing has inaugurated the reconstituted Board of Directors of the State Housing Company in Accra.

The Board is to design innovative strategies to reduce the housing deficit of 1.6 million units and ensure a decent and affordable housing to Ghanaians within the shortest time.

The Minister has tasked the board to consider engaging private companies as partners to attract investors to leverage the required funds needed for the development of the housing projects.

He charged the board to come out with creative plans to redevelop some of the state’s housing projects and tasked them to investigate and report to the Ministry on the petition made against the Managing Director of STC concerning his inability to comply with a committee constituted to investigate him.

Mr Dauda said the STC was established in 1956 by ordinance (No.31 1955) to increase the availability of dwelling houses in the country through the development, building and management of housing estates.

He said the vision of the Company is to provide high quality homes in thriving communities where people have a sense of pride and place.

Mr Dauda noted that increasing population growth and rapid urbanization have made housing a major challenge in most cities.

He said studies conducted during the formulation of the National Housing Policy revealed that 70 per cent of the population would require some form of government intervention to access housing in the country.

Mr Ebenezer Kobina Fosu, the Chairman of the Board, on behalf of members extended gratitude to President Mahama for the confidence reposed in them to steer the affairs of the company.

He assured the Minister of their willingness to work harder and initiate proactive measures to address the housing deficit in the country and called for collaboration in finding solutions to the housing sector.

The other members include Mr Seth Stephen Fiati, Mr Kojo Owusu Agyemang, Alhaji Hameed Yahaya Yakubu, Mr Kwame Annor-Kumi, Mr Emmanuel Jack Animi and Mr Michael Prince Asante Akuffo.