Parliament of Ghana has approved a loan agreement between Ghana government and a Chinese company, an amount of US$100,000,000.00 to execute and complete a Military Housing Project for The Ministry of Defence.
The agreement which was signed by the Defence Ministry and Poly Changda Overseas Engineering Company Limited and Poly Technologies, Inc of China was project to help provide a decent and modern accommodation for the Ghana Armed Forces to enable them perform their core function of defending the territorial integrity of Ghana.
Facilities to be constructed under the project include, 160 Soldiers’ two-bedroom half compound house l, 176 two-bed flats, 1 two-storey building Military Academy Classroom Block, 1 Military Academy Administration Office Block with 48 offices and conference rooms.
The rest are: 1 Military Academy Hostel with 240 Self-Contained Rooms, 1 Military Academy Auditorium seating 640 people, 1 Platoon Commanders Block containing 4 two-bed flats per floor, and a Fence Wall around the entire perimeter of the Ghana military Academy at Teshie in Accra.
The Committee in its concluded statement noted that it has thoroughly examined the Commercial Agreement and is of the view that the Agreement and the accompanying technical specifications and designs of the Project are suitable to the needs of the Ghana Armed Forces.
Presently, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) are facing acute accommodation problems for its men, women and Service Officers.
Government as part of its programme, planned to ensure that the Armed Forces are adequately provided with newly constructed accommodation and to rehabilitate the existing dilapidated ones.
In June 2017, the President cut the sod for the construction of a four (4) Housing Units for the GAF, whilst work on twenty (20) blocks of flats commenced in Tamale from the Internally Generated Funds (IGF) of the GAF.
Since new Officers and Officers of other ranks are being enlisted and Other Ranks recruited every year, there is a situation where Senior Officers including Majors and Lieutenant Colonels are living in single rooms originally designed for young and unmarried officers until they are reassigned bigger
accommodation units.
The Chairman of The Committee, Seth Kwame Achampong in submission said, “in view of these accommodation challenges facing the Forces, the Government formulated this Project to address the challenges.
Furthermore, the Consortium of Poly Technologies Inc. and Poly Changda Overseas Engineering Company Limited Group has been working with the GAF for the past fifteen (15) years to successfully undertake various projects; The construction of Aircraft Hangers at the Tamale and Takoradi Air Force Bases, the construction of the Ghana Armed Forces Integrity Savings and Loans Company Office, the construction of accommodation for troops; and the construction of the new Military Cemetery at Burma Camp among others”.
Story Edzorna Francis Mensah.
