By Cecil MENSAH
The Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development says is it considering a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to construct high rise flats in the Zongo and inner city areas across the country.
According to the Ministry, as part of the PPP arrangements land owners in these areas will be prevailed upon to release their lands as equity, where the old building will be pulled down for the construction of the flats in the said areas.
The Ministry said the arrangement will be such that the ground floor of the building will be given out to the owners whilst the rest are rented out for people seeking decent accommodation.
The Ministry added the whole building will revert to the owners after the lease agreement on the property elapses.
The Ministry maintained this forms part of its agenda to transform Zongo and inner city settlements in the country.
It is planned that in certain circumstances the property will be leased for 30-50 years and immediately revert to the owner as soon as the lease is over.
The Ministry is currently engaging with the land owners in these areas to buy into the idea to help transform slum settlements in the country.
Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, the sector Minister made this declaration when the South African Higher Commissioner to Ghana, Madam Lulama Xingwana paid a working visit to the Ministry at the Castle, the former seat of government in Accra.
He noted the land owners in the inner cities and Zongo areas across the country will be engaged on the need to beautify these areas and create better settlement for people living these areas across the country.
The Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, said the mandate of the Ministry is to make sure the lives of the people living in slum and Zongo areas are transformed by providing them with infrastructure, education, sanitation, security and women empowerment.
In doing so, the over six hundred zongo areas and about a thousand slums in the Greater Accra region alone will see some face-lift to augment the security of the people living in these areas.
