Parliament approves loan for military housing project

Parliment has approved a $100-million loan agreement for the construction of houses for personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).

The Seller’s Credit-Financing Agreement was signed between the Government of Ghana and Poly Changda Overseas Engineering Company Limited of the People’s Republic of China, in accordance with Article 181 of the 1992 Constitution.

Some of the facilities to be constructed under the project include 160 two-bedroom half-compound houses, 176 two-bedroom flats and a two-storey building.

Statement

In a statement to Parliament by the Committee on Defence and the Interior, the New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Manhyia North, Mr Collins Owusu Amankwa, who is the Vice-Chairman of the committee, said presently there was an acute shortage of accommodation for personnel of the GAF.

He said apart from putting up the new housing facilities, existing accommodation for the personnel, many of which were in a dilapidated state, would also be rehabilitated.

In June 2017, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, cut the sod for the construction of four housing units for the GAF and also announced the commencement of work on 20 blocks of flats for them in Tamale.

“New men and officers of other ranks are being enlisted into the GAF every year. There is also the situation where senior officers, including Majors and Lieutenant Colonels, were living in single rooms originally designed for young and unmarried officers until they were reassigned bigger accommodation units,” Mr Amankwa said.

According to him, the consortium of Poly Technologies Inc. and Poly Changda Overseas Engineering Company Limited Group selected for the project had been working with the GAF for the past 15 years, for which reason he expressed the hope that they would execute the project to specification.