Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President, introduced the ground-breaking National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS) in Accra.
The National Rental Assistance System (NRAS), to be run by a private sector property manager under the supervision of the Ministry of Works and Housing and other key stakeholders, is intended to make rental housing more accessible, affordable, and convenient by relieving the unfair burden of multi-year rent advance payments demanded by landlords faced by lower income houùseholds and the country’s youth.
The Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western, Eastern, Bono East, and Northern Regions will see the initial roll out, with a seed financing of Ghs30m, where data from the Ghana Statistical Service indicates renters face the biggest challenges with renting housing.
“In collaboration with the commercial sector, the Scheme will offer qualified Ghanaians low-interest loans so they can pay their rent in advance. These loans will be insured to assure sustainability and repaid on a monthly basis to correspond with the length of the rent.
“The Program will target people in the formal and unofficial sectors who have a predictable and identifiable source of income. The rent advance loans will be paid directly into the bank accounts of the landlords, who must also sign up for the Scheme.
Vice President Bawumia emphasized that the interventions made by the Akufo-Addo Government since it took office in 2017, particularly the National Digital Property Address System (GhanaPost GPS), the National ID system, and Mobile Money Interoperability had made it possible to roll out a scheme where all parties are confident in conveniently having their needs met. He outlined the various steps that culminated in the Scheme being included in the NPP’s 2020 Manifesto.
“As a people-focused government, providing our citizens with adequate shelter has played a significant role in this administration’s development objectives. As a result, efforts to address issues relating to the housing industry, particularly the rental housing industry, have remained essential to our development agenda.
“I took note of the rental housing market’s overall significance when I went to the Rent Control Department in July 2020 as part of our effort to broaden the range of housing options. I reaffirmed government plans to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the rent control department while also examining the law regulating rent management in the nation to make it more current with changing trends.
“More crucially, I also mentioned that the Government is putting in place measures regarding the payment of rent advance.
The short-to-medium-term market failures in the renter segment of the housing market were addressed with cooperation from all partners and stakeholders, said the Minister for Works and Housing, Hon. Francis Asenso-Boakye, despite early difficulties.
According to Hon. Asenso-Boakye, “public programs of this nature may come with its own operational challenges during implementation, but we are confident experiences and lessons would be learned to make the Scheme better across the country.” He called on the media and other stakeholders to help the government inform and educate the general public about this crucial Scheme.
Qualification
Candidates for the Scheme must be citizens of Ghana, have a current Ghana Card, be at least 18 years old, and have verifiable employment and earned income, as shown by bank or mobile money statements. In addition, the amount of rent that must be paid cannot be greater than 30% of the household’s total income. Additionally, parents might promise for their kids.
According to Rent Masters, the managers of the Scheme, the outcomes or status of applications will be made public 5–10 days after the applications are made public. You may get more details at www.nras.gov.gh.
OG KANI is an official content writer for Exgenera.com from Lapaz, Accra. He is also an authority in blogging, digital marketing, and other fields. By following Og Kani on the social media networks listed below, you may find out more about him.
