Editorial
National Rent Assistance Scheme laudable, but …
Dear Editor,
In 2023, the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia launched the National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS), to cushion tenants that hope to rent decent accommodation.
Reportedly, government paid a whopping GHȻ13.8 million rent advance to beneficiaries across the six regions as of November 2023.
That makes the policy a very good one to help people get decent places to stay.
Considering the number of people seeking decent accommodation but without the corresponding rental demands and the amount of money the scheme has expended already, it means this scheme could collapse in no time.
It is the reason why an intervention announced by the new Minister of Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah to address the housing deficit in Ghana must be embraced by all.
At a validation workshop to revise Ghana’s Housing Profile in Accra on April 9, 2024, Mr Nkrumah said government was working on giving master developers in the housing sector incentives like tax breaks, streamlined approval processes for construction permits and land allocation at competitive rates to jump-start housing projects to bridge the gap.
One of such key abandoned projects is the Saglemi Housing Project, which has 1,506 housing units waiting to be occupied. The Ministry has therefore invited bids from private developers to rehabilitate those units and get them ready for rental.
Secondly, I would want to implore the government or the appropriate authorities to enforce Ghana’s Rent Act, Act 220 that prescribes not more than one month rent as rent advance.
It is sad that despite the existence of this Act, the landlords and agents are still operating in their own world, charging rents putting prospective tenants off.
The situation has created a lot of difficulties for Ghanaians and the earlier government solve them, the better.
Nortey Christabel Naa Shormeh
Level 300
UNIMAC-IJ (Faculty of Journalism)
NAASHORMEYCHRISTABEL@GMAIL.COM
Editorial
ECG PowerApp: A mixed bag of technical issues, uncredited payment concerns
Dear Editor,
On February 18, 2020, the former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, launched the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) PowerApp, a mobile application designed in-house by staff of ECG.
It was to improve its service delivery to its customers.
The development of the app also meant that customers of ECG would now have the opportunity to purchase power and pay bills using their mobile phones.
That means customers of ECG would no longer have to join long queues to purchase power, but could now do that at their own convenience and in the comfort of their homes.
According to the Communication Officer, the PowerApp has increased annual revenue growth for the company.
He said as of April 2024, the new application system had increased its annual revenue growth by 128 per cent as compared to the old system at negative seven per cent.
Despite these reasons for which the app was developed and the benefits it has brought to ECG, there have been growing concerns among a section of the public on its use.
Some have argued that they were not credited after using the app to recharge their prepaid meter while the money was deducted from their MoMo accounts.
Such experience has made some customers vow not use the app to recharge their prepaid meters but rather go to prepaid vendors nearby to purchase credit. Some are even prepared to travel to far places to purchase prepaid credits.
I think such experience does not speak well of ECG because it could affect public trust in the company in its service delivery. This is the more reason why the ECG has to take the concerns raised by its customers seriously.
Kofi Bruce,
Mampong
Editorial
Our women can deliver
Dear Editor,
I write to congratulate the women that have so far caught the attention of President John Dramani Mahama for ministerial appointment.
So far, over 10 women have been vetted already and they all gave a very good account of themselves and I hope that they perform to the best of their abilities.
This is a good sign from President Mahama who demonstrated a strong resolve to provide an enabling environment for the women to be part of decision making by choosing a woman as his Vice President.
And true to his word, a number of women have been appointed in ministerial positions and others as presidential staffers.
I believe the other appointments to come would also have women making the cut.
This would be a morale booster for the young women out there who thinks that their position is the kitchen or in a man’s house as a wife.
This is a clear case of women given the urge to aim to rise above what society and traditional norms have set for them. I wish them well.
Maame Atta,
Kokompe
