"Gov’t may Pay Rents of Persons Hit hard by Covid-19" - Works and Housing Minister

Ghana’s Minister of Works and Housing has hinted at government’s intention to absorb rent of tenants who face eviction due to the economic instability following the covid-19 outbreak.

Atta Akyea says government is ready to consider bailout for these persons and would interrogate any report it received for such request, to determine the level of support that could be offered.

“If someone should push that people who have no place to live as a direct result of the COVID-19 challenges should have their rent paid, we should be able to absorb it. We have the financial space,” Mr Atta Akyea indicated when he took his turn at the regular minister’s media briefing on Ghana’s COVID-19 management.

Mr Atta Akyea, however, said his office was yet “to hear of the wholesale eviction of tenants,” but gave an assurance that if any report came to his attention, “we will get the feedback and handle it”.

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“Let’s see if there are numbers. We shouldn’t just wave our hands and say we should pay the rent of people who are suffering as a result of the COVID-19 numbers, but if we see the numbers, we will see what we can do,” he added.

Mr Atta Akyea appealed to landlords and landladies to show empathy towards their tenants to mitigate the impact of the situation on those who had been hard hit by economic challenges due to the pandemic.

Already, government has absorbed the bill for water consumption for the months of April, May and June for all Ghanaians, also, low consumers have had their electricity bills taken up while 50 per cent of the bills for businesses and other consumers will be borne for three months, starting from April to June.