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The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Samuel Atta Akyea, has announced that a consortium of local banks had made available $51 million to support the completion of work on existing housing projects.

He said under the facility, three flats with the requisite amenities would also be built in all 275 constituencies of the country.

Contributing to the debate on the State of The Nation address delivered by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Mr Atta Akyea said the government was committed to providing decent and affordable housing to all Ghanaians.

Mr Atta Akyea, who is the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South, said shelter was a key component of good living, adding that a mortgage facility would be rolled out to allow citizens own and pay for decent houses over a 15 to 20 years period.

"This will allow Ghanaians move from tenant status to landlords over the period, "Mr Akyea said to loud cheers from his colleagues in the majority."

Mr Atta Akyea corrected what, he said, was a misrepresentation in the President's address which mentioned affordable housing projects in Ho and said the housing projects were rather in Wa.

He mentioned the Koforidua, Tamale and Wa affordable housing projects started under former President John Agyekum Kufuor and the Saglemi housing project started under former President John Mahama, as some of the projects that would be completed.

"We will continue and complete all housing projects that started under erstwhile administrations.

The Saglemi housing project will not be abandoned," he said, and indicated that once value for money issues were solved, work on the first phase of the project would resume.

Slum development

On slum development, Mr Atta Akyea, said the government had developed a programme which it would roll out later in the year to uplift slum settlements across the country.

For a start, he said, Nima in Accra, would be the foundation beneficiary of the projects. "So very soon, you will see Nima transformed," he said.

Mr Atta Akyea said drainage, one of the challenges he identified as a major priority of the government, was being tackled to avoid the annual flooding in the cities, especially in Accra and Kumasi.

He said the government was committing its energy and resources to ensure that citizens along the coast of the country were not displaced by tidal waves.

Poor economy

Taking his turn in the debate, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Bawku Central, Mr Mahama Ayariga, said the country's economy was not in good health, contrary to the President's assertion that, "we have our challenges but our nation is in good health."

Mr Ayariga said developments in the country did not support the claims of the President.

For instance, he said, in the areas of security, job creation, economy, among others, the country was in crisis rather than being in good health.

He said a country which borrowed about GH¢12 billion under the guise of addressing liquidity challenges in the banking sector could not be said to be in good health.

"Our nation is not in good health as the President would want us to believe. Our country is bleeding profusely from certain developments.

Our country is rather in crisis and is suffering from fundamental flaws," he said.