THE good old books of Christianity and Islam assert that when society is led by a good, righteous, selfless and humane leader, it will witness the bounties of the Almighty which will contribute to the realisation of a just, peaceful and prosperous society for the good of all.
That Ghana is today a beneficiary of such uncommon grace is as true as the Machiavellian dictum which holds that one cannot make omelette without breaking eggs.
As early as the first quarter of last year when inflationary rates were in high double digits, the national deficit at an all- time high, the exchange rate depreciating fast and the general economic outlook very weak and uncertain, the support of many development partners, complemented by the hard work and the sacrifice of the people, helped to pull us from the brink.
Today, not only is inflation, the national deficit, the exchange rate and interest rates more stable but also Ghana is widely regarded as the gateway to business and investment in the West African sub-region.
Only last September, President John Evans Atta Mills, after trips to China and Japan, returned home with over $13 billion financial support from China and other forms of substantial assistance from Japan to support the accelerated expansion of national infrastructure.
These include the Eastern corridor road stretching from Hohoe in the Volta Region through to Bimbila, Salaga and Yendi in the Northern Region to Kulungugu in the Upper East Region, the Western corridor from the Sefwi and Nzema areas through the Brong Ahafo Region.
Others are the extension of the railway network from Kumasi through Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region to Tamale in the Northern Region to Paga in the Upper East Region and the rehabilitation of the Yamoransa-Cape Coast road.
Only yesterday, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Duffour, and the Chief Executive Officer of STX of Korea signed the Government of Ghana-STX Housing deal to construct 200,000 housing units, 90,000 of which will be given to the security services and other important sectors of the state.
The remaining 110,000 units are to be made available to the general public for hire purchase at affordable rates through the Home Finance Company (HFC), a mortgage company.
By all accounts, this STX deal is the largest, most comprehensive and, in terms of economic impact, most far-reaching in the country's history.
Out of the estimated 1,000,000 housing deficit the nation is said to be facing, the 200,000 STX housing units constitute the single most aggressive and ambitious onslaught on the spectre of homelessness and inadequate housing facilities for people in this country.
The project, which will be spread over five years, is expected to offer direct employment to over 400,000 people across the 10 regions of the country.
We are happy that at last the picture of uncertainty that was created about this project in sections of our society has been removed with the signing of this agreement and the commencement of work in January next year.
It has been a long-standing national shame to see large numbers of our security forces, especially our hardworking police, military, fire service, prison and other personnel, live in ramshackle, overcrowded and poorly ventilated colonial era barracks that have defied any renovation since they were put up.
It is gratifying to note that the priority accorded the building of 30,000 housing units immediately for the security services will, in addition to the greatly enhanced salary paid to the police and the other security services under the Single Spine Salary Structure, serve as great incentives to motivate them to give of their best.
Additionally, the availability of more houses will not only make it possible for more houses for the people in the lower income bracket and the middle-class to buy and thus liberate them from the shackles of Shylock landlords but also help increase substantially the national housing stock and in this way help bring down the prices of houses to affordable levels.
So let the houses flow.
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