Kumasi, Jan 30, GNA - A sod cutting ceremony to start the construction of affordable houses in the Kumasi metropolis was on Monday performed by Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, at Ayigya in Kumasi.

The Ayigya project, which involves the construction of 800 flats of 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms on a 50-acre land, is estimated to cost about 300 billion cedis.

Nana Boakye Ansah Debrah, Asokore-Mamponghene, released the land for the project.

Mr Owusu-Agyeman said the second phase of the project in the Ashanti Region would be located at Dedesua.

He said the construction of the affordable houses throughout the country was aimed at addressing the serious shortage of decent and affordable accommodation for the middle and lower income groups.

''The government has made a firm commitment to make the houses affordable by introducing some form of targeted subsidy to assist workers such as civil servants, teachers, nurses, doctors and personnel in the security services to acquire the houses.''

He appealed to chiefs and other landowners to offer land to support the project.

Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, the Ashanti regional Minister, said the project was not a dissipation of national resources but a policy to offer the ordinary Ghanaian a decent home that was a necessity of life.