Give Saglemi housing project to workers – Organised Labour

Organised Labour has called on the government to consider offering the Saglemi Housing project to workers to address their accommodation needs.

The government in November 2022 announced plans to wash its hands off the Saglemi housing project to allow a private developer to refurbish the housing units and sell them to potential owners.

Sector Minister, Francis Asenso-Boakye said the decision was taken because it was exhausted and handicapped and cannot make further commitments to the Saglemi project.

Speaking on behalf of Organised Labour at the 2023 May Day Parade at the Independence Square in Accra, the Greater Accra Regional Secretary of the Council of Labour, Freda Frimpong 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 started in 2012 under the NDC government where 5000 housing units were targetted.

This did not materialize due to the alleged misappropriation of funds.

Currently, a former Works and Housing Minister under the Mahama administration, Collins Dauda, is standing trial together with four others for allegedly causing financial loss to the State in the controversial housing project.

Mr. Dauda and the four others are facing 52 counts of criminal charges for intentionally misapplying 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 over $196 million on the Saglemi housing project when investigations revealed that the cost of works executed on the site, including consultancy services, was about $64,982,900.77.