The Government on Wednesday signed an agreement in Seoul with a South Korean company, STX Construction Group, to build 200,000 housing units in Ghana. The project is expected to commence in April 2010 and would be completed in about five years. Ghana’s HFC Bank has been named as a partner in the project. The news comes after Deputy Works and Housing Minister, Hannah Bissiw announced in an interview with Joy News, a massive housing programme. Dr Bissiw promised the Mills-led administration would provide some 200,000 homes in various cities in the next five years. Mr Albert Abongo, Minister of Works and Housing, who led the government delegation and some Members of Parliament to South Korea to sign the deal, estimated at $10 billion as the cost. Albert Abongo told Peace FM’s Kokrokoo host, Kwami Sefa Kayi that about 40,000 units would be built in each year, and distributed all the ten regions. Mr Abongo said he was happy for the development package because it would give a facelift to all the ten regions. The mixed project would include flats, detached, semi-detached and social infrastructure. The minister stated that 45% of the housing units would be reserved exclusively for the security services and civil servants. Mrs Cecilia Dapaah, the NPP MP for Bantama, who was with the delegation in Seoul, was delighted that government has finally secured funds for the project. A news article on the Korean news website, the Chosun Ilbo, quoted a statement from the STX Construction Group that the Government of Ghana would offer free land and allow construction materials to be imported duty-free while the construction company will have to come up with the $10-billion budget for the project and hire Ghanaians to fill 30 percent of its local staff. Story by Fiifi Koomson and Isaac Essel, with additional file from Joy Business/Ghana