National Rental Assistance Scheme is dead on arrival—-John Dumelo fires
Actor cum Politician, John Dumelo has expressed concern about the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) intention to introduce the National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS), a policy intended to offer loans to aid Ghanaians to pay rent advance.
According to him, the policy is dead on arrival since it had no tendency to solve rent issues in the country.
Expressing displeasure on his Twitter handle yesterday, the multi award winning actor argued that government could have enforced the Rent Control Act “Act 220” to enable citizens pay six months rent advance.
“The establishment of the National Rent Assistance Scheme is dead on arrival. Why not enforce the rent control act 220 so citizens can pay 6 months rent advance instead of 2-3years being charged?,” he added.
Enforcing the rent law, Mr Dumelo noted would save public purse and help every Ghanaian youth to afford for rent advance.
He emphasised that if the government wanted to help the youth with regards to rent he would seek to it that the act is enforced, stressing that “enforce the law and save money, simple!”
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The Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia during the launch of the 2020 NPP manifesto at Cape Coast in the central region expressed the party’s commitment to enroll a soft loan for working class Ghanaians to rent an apartment.
He explained that government would set aside $100 million as a seed into a new NRAS to address accommodation problem if it is given another term in office.
The scheme, according to him would serve as a loan allowance for payment of rents to bridge the gap between tenants and landlords.
“There is a market failing between what the tenants want and what the landlord wants, and this is why government has decided to come in and bridge this market failure by setting up a national rent assistance scheme,” he said.
Dr Bawumia indicated that the initiative which would be carried out in partnership with the private sector would release the burden on a lot of people who are renting.
“Under the National Rent Allowance Scheme, we will give you a loan to pay your rent allowance, not directly to you but the landlord and then we will deduct monthly as you will normally pay,” he stressed.
BY JOYCELINE NATALLY CUDJOE
