The government of Ghana has announced that its National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS) has helped more than 1,000 workers from six regions to pay their rent advance. The scheme, launched in January 2023, aims to ease the burden of high rent advance payments for low and middle-income earners.
According to the Minister for Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, the NRAS has disbursed GH¢13,785,597 to 1,105 beneficiaries in the Greater Accra, Eastern, Western, Ashanti, Northern and Bono East regions. He said the scheme targets both formal and informal workers with regular incomes and pays the rent advance directly to the landlords.
The minister made these remarks on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, in response to a question by Andrew Dari Chiwitey, a member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). Chiwitey also asked how much it cost the government to launch the rent assistance scheme.
Asenso-Boakye said the ministry spent a total of GH¢900,000 on the pre-implementation activities and official launch of the scheme. He added that the ministry also conducted public sensitization and stakeholder consultations on the scheme.
The NRAS is one of the initiatives by the government to address the housing challenges in the country. The minister said the government is also committed to completing other housing projects, such as the controversial Saglemi housing project, which has been stalled for years due to allegations of corruption and mismanagement.
The Saglemi housing project, which was started by the previous NDC administration in 2012, was meant to provide 5,000 affordable housing units in Prampram, Greater Accra. However, only 668 units were completed and the project is currently under investigation by the Attorney General’s office.
Asenso-Boakye said the ministry has tasked the Ghana Institution of Surveyors to conduct a cost and technical audit of the Saglemi project and advise on the way forward. He said the government is determined to ensure that the housing needs of Ghanaians are met in a transparent and accountable manner.
Source: Graphic Online
