What has become of the National Rent Assistance Scheme? – Group asks Akufo-Addo
Members of the National Tenants Union of Ghana are not excited about the government’s failure to honour its promises in the housing sector.
General Secretary of the National Tenants Union of Ghana Frederick Opoku has questioned what has become of the National Rental Assistance Scheme that the government promised.
It will be recalled that Government revealed plans to birth a new housing system called the National Rental Assistance Scheme.
This was contained in the 2021 Budget statement which was read in Parliament by Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, Member of Parliament, Suame constituency in the Ashanti Region, Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs on 12th March 2021, on behalf of Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta who had travelled to the United States for medical attention.
It was expected to be a partnership between the government and the private sector with a GH¢100,000,000 capital from the government.
The system was also expected to make rent easy for the citizens of Ghana because there will be a provision of low-interest credit for eligible citizens to pay their house rent in advance, to reduce the challenges faced by Ghanaians in acquiring decent homes.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said “Mr Speaker, in partnership with the private sector, we will commence the establishment of a National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS), with a seed of GH¢100 million”, adding, “The scheme will crowd-in additional investment from the private sector, to provide low-interest loans to eligible Ghanaians to enable them pay rent advance”.
If the government of Ghana execute this scheme, the problem of house rent would be minimal in the sense that most eligible Ghanaians would have access to a lump sum cash to fund their accommodation with the ability to pay later at a low-interest rate, analysts said.
Speaking about the situation, Mr Frederick Opoku said “There are a lot of promises that they have defaulted. As a whole union fronting for over 15 million Ghanaians, do you know how many people call me every day that Fred, have you been following up on the National Rent Assistance project?
“I met and wrote to Minister of Works and Housing Francis Asenso-Boakye that Mr Minister, this is what you pledged, Ghanaians are asking what has become of the pledge? Is it just a mere theatrical or rhetoric?”
He added, “Enough is enough, you can’t just bring promises when we are getting to elections, deceive Ghanaians and do whatever, come in, lie to them and you leave.”
