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Head of Psychology of the University of Ghana, Prof. Joseph Osafo has lauded President Nana Akufo-Addo over his promise to grant students loans and also establish a National Rental Assistance Scheme (NRAS) to enable young Ghanaians to rent affordable apartments.

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, during the 2020 Manifesto Launch of the ruling New Patriotic Party, noted that this promise will be fulfilled in President Akufo-Addo's next administration.

"It is very key to note that the link between tertiary education and economic development is very, very strong. Countries which have high tertiary enrollment rate, have much higher levels of economic development...One of the problems in getting access to tertiary education in Ghana is affordability...All tertiary students except teacher and nursing trainees who will be on allowances, all tertiary students will now be able to get the option to obtain a student loan without the requirement of a guarantor.

"The current scheme asks for guarantors and you know a lot of people are not willing to put their pensions on line so the students are not able to access it. So you don't need a guarantor, all you need is your national ID card that is all," he said.

Portions of the manifesto further read; ''In the second term of the NPP Government, there will be a greater emphasis on housing delivery... In partnership with the private sector, the Scheme will provide low-interest loans to eligible Ghanaians to enable them pay rent advance. These loans will be repaid on a monthly basis to match the tenor of the rent, and will be insured to ensure sustainability. Government will seed the Scheme with GH¢100 million which will be leveraged to crowdin additional investment from the private sector.

"The Scheme will target individuals (both in the formal and informal sectors) with identifiable and regular income. The rent advance loans will be paid directly into the bank accounts of landlords, who would have to register with the Scheme'." 

Addressing the NPP promises, Prof. Joseph Osafo recounted many people end up in mental hospital due to loss of jobs and their inability to find shelter, hence the need for a government to bridge the gap.

"The loss of job is about four times likely for a person to commit suicide," he said.

To him, should the government implement its rental and loan schemes, it will help to alleviate mental health problems in the country.

''Interventions that will ameliorate this situation is very important. The government's interventions in this regard, I think, it'll be very helpful to contribute towards easing the mental health distress'', he stated on ''Kokrokoo'' on Peace FM.

He called on Ghanaians to support the Akufo-Addo government saying ''once there is a government doing some good work, we are obliged to support it to let it work''.