NHA, GELPAZ to construct 50, 000 housing units

The National Housing Authority or NHA in partnership with GELPAZ, a private construction company base in Burkina Faso discloses plan to construct 50,000 housing facilities across the country for low income earners.

In a joint press conference here Tuesday, 14 August at the Executive Mansion in Monrovia, Managing Director Duannah Siryon says negotiations are ongoing between the HNA and GELPAZ from Burkina Faso.

He adds that the decision is in supportive of President George Manneh Weah’s dream to provide affordable housing for Liberians, adding, “it is against this backdrop that GELPAZ came with a seven-man delegation to have discussion with us on the construction of this project.

“Our job here is to make sure that Liberian people get affordable, durable, and modern homes across this country, but we want to thank the president of GELPAZ, and his team for coming to Liberia, and helping to respond to our housing needs”, Mr. Siryon expresses.

According to him, the NHA has deployed data collectors in various line ministries and agencies to collect data on the number of citizens who need one, two or three bedrooms, saying this will guide the entity on how the President speaks to investors based on requests from the field.

“We really don’t want to do things on our own, but let the people decide, because our partners here want to build 50,000 units, and we don’t want to build houses that the people don’t want.”

He recalls that from 1960 to present, the NHA has constructed about 1,774 housing units, including all estates in the country, stressing that if his institution could exceed that number under the leadership of President Weah, it would be ok, and this is a trajectory government is embarking on.

The NHA boss discloses that a delegation from Liberia went to Burkina Faso and evaluated housing units constructed for government of that country, saying, “If this company can do this work then they can come to Liberia that was how this negotiation started between the NHA, and GELPAZ Construction Company.”

He says the new units to be constructed will be based on outcome of the current negotiation to be finalized this Friday, and focus would not be on Monrovia alone, as the project will be decentralized.

Meanwhile, the president of GELPAZ Construction Company Alain Z. Zoungrana says, his decision to come to Liberia is to work with the new leadership headed by President Weah in meeting the dream of building affordable homes for low income earners.

He notes that in January 2018 when President Weah stressed the need for affordable homes for the Liberian people, it was a way of seeking support to begin the project, saying, “We as brotherly country want to help in making the President to succeed in his endeavors, since we are members state of the Economic Community of West African States or ECOWAS.”

“We are here to make sure that this president succeed, but in order to succeed the work of this country lies in the hands of the Press; what you report is what the people believe”, Mr. Zoungrana concludes.

By Lewis S. Teh–Editing by Jonathan Browne