The bustling communities of Nima, Maamobi, Kotobaabi and Accra Newtown will go through redevelopment to gain first-class residential stature and commercial communities to spur socioeconomic growth.
The redevelopment will see the construction of estimated 301,000 housing units to be financed by the Ghana Fund at the cost of $40 billion.
This falls under the Accra Inner-City Re-Development Project (Phase 1).
Dr Noskim Atidigah, the President of Ghana Fund, said this at a public forum on Friday when he made a presentation in Accra on the details of the construction and functionality of these towns, designed to draw massive domestic and international tourist traffic.
Construction works, which would start by July this year, would last for five years, he said.
That would see the conversion of approximately the 6.5 square kilometres of the existing communities into one of the world’s best cities, which offers diverse living opportunities and nature re-introduction as part of the green city concept, and in an ambient of healthcare, business and tourism.
Mr Atidigah said the buildings would be “1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom apartments in 45-floor buildings designed for a population of 1,500,000 people.”
Over 30 per cent of the development area would also be exclusively designed for arboriculture.
There would be 25 kilometres metro rail transport system, 50 kilometres of pedestrians way and dedicated ways for electric shop carts, 100,000-bed hospital and 720,000 square metres of congress and exhibition space.
The redeveloped area would again have 5,000-seat conference room, 2000-seat theatre, 3,000,000 square metres of underground shopping arcade and 800,000 square metres of food market.
Over two million square metres vehicle repair centre with 7,000 repair and parts dealership shops, 10,000 square metres space for Lost-and-Found Bureau, a 24-hour electronic security surveillance of all public areas and advanced automated waste management systems would be put in place.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Dr Atidigah said the main beneficiaries would be existing landlords, chiefs, assembly members, members of Parliament, Land-Use and Spatial Planning Authority, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Fire Service and the media.
A temporary structure that could accommodate more than 200,000 people would be established as safe haven for relocation to facilitate construction works.
“The beneficiaries will get their apartments at no cost and depending on what you have now, you may get one-bedroom, two-bedroom or three-bedroom apartments,” Dr Atidigah said. “Only 10 per cent of the apartments, which will be one-bedroom and kitchen will be rented out.”
He said consultations and negotiations were ongoing with relevant stakeholders and for the release of the land.
GNA
