FINDING ACCOMODATION IN TAMALE IS HELL (PAGE 29)

Story: Vincent Adedze, Tamale

ACCOMMODATION problems facing workers in the Tamale metropolis will soon be a thing of the past.
Currently, the government is constructing 10 housing units in the metropolis and plans are underway to increase the units to meet the increasing demand among workers.
As of November 2006, there were more than 80 applications for accommodation on the waiting list.
There are 607 government housing units located at such areas as Sakasaka, Choggu, Bagabaga, Kalpohini, Vitting, Attaasibi, Nyohini and Airport, all suburbs of Tamale.
There are also 255 low cost housing units at Choggu, Bagabaga and Kalpohini, all earmarked for sale.
Unfortunately, however, none of the units is vacant for newly posted workers to occupy and the situation has been attributed to the fact that the number of workers posted to the metropolis has outgrown the number of government bungalows available in the area.
In view of this, workers have, on several platforms, made urgent and passionate appeals to the government to provide affordable housing units for them.
Among other issues being raised by workers in the sprawling metropolis is the exorbitant rent charged by landlords and ladies.
Some workers contend that renting private premises is more expensive than renting a government bungalow.
Indeed, investigations by this reporter show that occupants of government housing units pay between 14 and 18 per cent of their gross salaries for the various types of units.
On the other hand, some workers claim they pay advance rent of between GH¢120 and GH¢2,500 spread between one and three years, depending on the apartment and the facilities available in a particular house.
It is, therefore, gratifying to note that the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique, during his recent tour of the project site in Tamale, announced government’s preparedness to provide more housing units to help increase productivity in the area.
Alhaji Saddique called on the 20 contractors on site to work harder to ensure the successful completion of the project.
Some of the contractors complained of inadequate supply of cement and iron rods.
On when the project was expected to be completed and the cost involved, the Project Co-ordinator of Architect of Amalgamated Group, Mr Daniel Gyarteng, said its completion would depend on the availability of the needed resources.
According to him, the cost of the project could not be established now because of the unstable prices of building materials.