Habitat for Humanity to build 3,000 houses

6/10/2010

Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
THE Habitat for Humanity Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, is to construct 3,000 affordable houses across the country within the next three years.
Under the project, the organisation would provide soft loans to poor families in the form of building materials and offer labour from local and international volunteers.
The Country Director for Habitat for Humanity Ghana, Mr George Nzomo, made this known at the launch of the organisation’s three-year strategic plan for the construction of affordable houses in Ghana.
The organisation has been in Ghana since 1989 and operates in 135 communities in all the regions except the Upper West Region. It has so far supported the construction of 7,000 housing units.
Mr Nzomo said an estimated 1.6 billion people lived in sub-standard houses in the world, with many Ghanaians faced with housing problems.
He said under the strategic plan, the organisation would build housing units on rural, urban and peri-urban areas.
Mr Nzomo said the organisation would dialogue with government officials to stress the need for the government to make the construction of housing units a priority in the country.
The Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Hannah Bissiw, reiterated the government’s commitment to providing affordable houses to Ghanaians.
She said the country’s growth rate of 2.7 per cent required of the country to build more houses to meet the growing demand.
Dr Bissiw commended Habitat for Humanity for complementing government’s efforts at providing affordable housing for Ghanaians.
The Charge d’Affair of the United States Embassy in Ghana, Ms Julie Furuta-Toy, said US volunteers would be participating in the project.
She lauded Ghana for making progress in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and indicated that the construction of affordable houses would further improve the lives of the poor in the society.
The Chairperson of Habitat for Humanity, Mrs Stephanie Baeta Ansah, indicated that the organisation sought to help assist poor families to obtain affordable houses.