After more than eight years of delays and stalled progress, the Saglemi Housing Project appears set for revival, though its future may differ from the original plan.
Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei has provided the clearest indication yet that the long-stalled project will soon change hands.
“Now, very soon we will sign the deal, and then Saglemi will start working again. You know, the previous government started something, and this government is continuing. So when we came in and looked through the documents, we realized that we will continue with them. So the necessary documentations were sent to Attorney General to review it. Luckily, the review is back, so we are going to assess it, and very soon we will sign it out, meaning we are giving it to a third party.”
When pressed on the structure of the partnership, the Minister remained tight-lipped.
“Yes, it’s a government and private partnership. I can’t give the details in terms of percentage. When the Attorney General is done with the negotiation, we will look at that,” Adjei said.
The Saglemi Story: A Timeline of Controversy
To understand where the Saglemi project stands today, one must trace its tortured path through two administrations.
2012: The NDC Initiates the Project
The Saglemi Affordable Housing Project was launched in 2012 during President John Dramani Mahama’s first term as an initiative to address Ghana’s housing deficit . The plan was to construct 5,000 housing units on 300 acres of land at Prampram in the Greater Accra Region, offered by the Ningo traditional authority .
The project was funded through a $200 million loan facility from Credit Suisse, a Swiss investment bank . The Brazilian construction giant, Construtora OAS Limited, was engaged as the contractor.
2017: The Project Stalls Under NPP
When the NDC government lost power in the 2016 elections and handed over to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration on January 7, 2017, the project came to a halt.
By then, only 1,413 to 1,506 units were partially completed, estimated at about 80 per cent finished, despite approximately $198 million of the $200 million loan already spent . Essentially, the partially completed structures lacked essential infrastructure, including water, electricity, and sewage systems .
A subsequent valuation by the Ghana Institute of Surveyors estimated that an additional $100 million would be required to complete the 1,506 unfinished units, a finance the government could not provide . With $198 million spent on roughly 1,500 incomplete units, each uncompleted unit had absorbed about $140,127, far exceeding the projected $40,000 per completed unit.
The NPP administration pursued legal action against officials involved in the project. In January 2023, charges were filed against Collins Dauda (former Minister), Dr. Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, Alhaji Ziblim Yakubu, businessman Andrew Clocanas (now deceased), and Nouvi Tetteh Angelo .
However, in a turn on February 24, 2025, an Accra High Court discharged Collins Dauda and three others after the Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, withdrew the charges . Dr. Ayine argued that the charges were “poorly investigated” and “poorly thought through,” noting that the value of the built environment, and the physical houses constructed had not been properly accounted for in assessing financial loss .
Late 2024: NPP’s Private Developer Proposal
In the dying embers of the NPP administration, then Works and Housing Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah announced that a private developer, the Quarm-LMI Consortium, had been selected to complete the project. A Request for Proposals (RFP) had been issued, with Deloitte Ghana engaged as Transaction Advisor to evaluate bids.
The proposed model was a joint venture. The state’s earlier investment (the partially completed units) would be treated as government equity, while the completion cost would be treated as the private partner’s equity in a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) . Proceeds from sales would be shared according to each party’s stake.
However, Oppong Nkrumah acknowledged that additional funds required to complete the project and connect utilities could raise the cost of one unit from $40,000 to as high as $176,000, raising serious questions about affordability for low-income earners.
2025-2026: The New Administration’s Review
Upon taking office, the new administration signalled a review. In January 2026, Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, stated that the decision to hand the project to private developers was under review.
“It was meant to be public housing, affordable for people within a certain income bracket. They left it to rot for eight years and then, at the last minute, attempted to transfer it into private hands. We are reviewing the arrangement to ensure that the initial objective is achieved,” he said.
By late January 2026, however, the Minister for Works and Housing confirmed that the government had finalised the joint venture terms following the successful completion of the developer selection process led by Deloitte . The Head of Terms had been signed, and documents were with the Attorney-General’s Department for review .
Where We Are Now
Kenneth Gilbert Adjei’s latest comments confirm that the Attorney-General’s review is now complete. The deal is awaiting signature, and a third party thus the private developer selected through the Deloitte process will take over the project.
The key details, however, remain shrouded. The percentage of government equity in the partnership remains undisclosed, the final cost per unit and who will ultimately be able to afford them is unknown and the timeline for completion has not been specified.
Analysis: A Policy Reversal or a Continuation?
The trajectory of the Saglemi project reveals a fascinating political dynamic. The current administration initially signalled discomfort with the NPP’s decision to transfer the project into private hands, pledging to restore its “initial public use objective.”
Yet, the Minister now confirms that the government is proceeding with that very model, a public-private partnership where a third party will take over the project. The only apparent difference is the review by the Attorney-General’s Department.
The central tension remains. Can a project that has already consumed nearly $200 million for 1,500 incomplete units ever deliver affordable housing to low-income Ghanaians?
If the final cost per unit approaches the $176,000 figure previously suggested, the answer is almost certainly no.The teacher, the nurse, and the low-income earner for whom Saglemi was originally conceived would be priced out of the market entirely.
