President John Dramani Mahama has set March 2027 as the deadline for the first 700 homes under the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project, handing a firm timetable to a development that has stood largely empty while Ghana struggles with a housing shortage.
A further 800 units are expected to be completed by December 2027, bringing the first phase to 1,500 homes. The President announced the targets during a visit to the project on Thursday, August 20.
Government is working with private developer LMI Holdings to revive the estate, where years of inactivity left buildings exposed to deterioration, theft and overgrown vegetation.
Registration portal expected
Mr Mahama said applications would open through a registration portal, urging interested Ghanaians to prepare once the process is announced.
“When the portal is open, those who want to move to the beautiful home should register,” he said.
Officials have not published the opening date, eligibility conditions or prices. Demand could be strong, particularly from employees of industries around Tema and the Dawa Industrial Area.
The current phase covers 1,500 homes within an estate originally conceived as a 5,000 unit development. The President said construction of the remaining 3,500 units would follow the completion of the initial batch.
That makes the March deadline the first real test of whether Saglemi can move beyond years of promises and finally receive residents.
Water, power and internet under construction
Kojo Aduhene, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of LMI Holdings, said workers were installing underground electrical cables, removing vegetation and preparing essential water infrastructure.
He assured the President that “water will not be a problem,” pointing to an existing treatment plant at the Dawa Industrial Area with capacity to serve the estate.
Internet connectivity is also being extended to the development, part of efforts to ensure the homes are handed over with basic services rather than as completed structures without functioning utilities.
That distinction matters. Houses cannot support families without reliable electricity, water, drainage, accessible roads and security.
Mr Mahama also addressed theft at the site, including the removal of electrical cables and other fittings during the years the project remained unattended. He said measures were being taken to prevent further losses.
The damage illustrates what happens when public housing schemes are left idle. Materials disappear, buildings deteriorate and the eventual cost of finishing the work climbs.
Construction activity could also provide work for artisans, suppliers and transport operators. More importantly, bringing idle buildings into use would recover value from public resources tied up in an estate that has delivered little housing benefit for years.
Affordability remains the bigger question
Completing the homes will settle only part of the Saglemi debate. The harder question is whether ordinary Ghanaian households can afford them.
Mr Mahama indicated that financial institutions and the Home Ownership Fund were preparing mortgage arrangements, including support towards a 10 per cent deposit, to help prospective buyers acquire homes. Information Services Department
Specific purchase prices, repayment terms and qualification requirements have not been publicly detailed. Those figures will determine whether the project reaches its intended market or ends up serving families already able to buy conventional private housing.
Allocation will also face scrutiny. With only 700 homes expected in the first batch, a transparent registration process will be essential to building confidence among applicants.
Transport cannot be ignored either. Saglemi sits on a corridor connecting Accra, Tema, Dawa and Aflao, making commuting costs and road access central to its appeal for working households.
The President said road improvements and a proposed railway connection were expected to strengthen movement across the growing industrial and residential corridor.
For now, attention is fixed on the construction site. March 2027 is the first deadline, December 2027 the next. What ultimately matters is whether finished houses become occupied homes with dependable services and prices that Ghanaian families can genuinely afford.
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