Kumasi, March 25, GNA- The Chirapatre-Ahinsan Estate Tenants Association in Kumasi has congratulated the government for the decision to sell the stock of government low-cost houses to the sitting tenants. The association, however, described Mr Kwasi Adu-Amankwaah, Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress's (TUC) criticism of government's decision to sell the houses as unfortunate and that he appears to be uninformed about the realities on the ground with respect to the history of the low-cost housing units.

In a letter of appreciation sent to the President and signed by Mr J.M. Tenkorang, chairman of the Chirapatre Estates Tenants Association, Mr S.R. Okyere, chairman of the Ahinsan Estate Tenants Association, and Mr Francis A. Austin, secretary, said available records show that there were about 17,800 government low-cost housing units belonging to the Tema Development Corporation (TDC), State Housing Corporation (SGC) and central government.

The association said each of these units houses at least five family members on the average and that the decision if implemented would enable about 90,000 additional Ghanaians to live in owner-occupied houses.

It pleaded with the government to consider the modalities spelt out in the Ministry of Works and Housing's press release issued earlier and dated February 16, 1993 with the view to speeding up the process. The association asked the sector minister to immediately take inventory of stock of low-cost houses nationwide and have their current values established and discounted at reasonable rate and offered for sale to existing sitting tenants so as to increase the number of owner-occupied houses for low-income Ghanaians.