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Ghana�s housing deficit is approaching the one million mark even as the government struggles to provide accommodation for its people. Consequently, �tremendous amounts of investment are required if we are to meet our targets of the Millennium Development Goals of improving the lives of one million slum dwellers,� the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Albert Abongo, made this known at a national durbar to mark this year�s World Habitat Day, which was held at Mantse Agbonaa in the central business district of Accra. The World Habitat Day was established in 1985 by the United Nations (UN) and is observed on the first Monday of October every year to help people reflect on the state of their towns and cities and the basic right to adequate shelter for all. This year�s celebration was on the theme, �Planning Our Urban Future.� Mr Abongo, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bongo, however expressed optimism that more Ghanaians would have decent places to lay their heads once the construction of the Affordable Housing Project was completed. On other issues, Mr Abongo said preparations towards the relocation of bulk breaking markets in Accra especially on the Old Fadama Road, popularly referred to as Agbogbloshie, was ongoing. The Minister of Local Government and rural Development, Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, for his par, announced that a project dubbed �Ghana Urban Management Pilot Project (GUMPP)� would soon be rolled out to transform the nation�s cities. The project, being support by the Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), is aimed at urban planning and investment into infrastructure development in Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Tamale and Ho on a pilot basis. The Metropolitan Chief Executive of the AMA, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, expressed regret that Accra�s economic growth since 1984 had not matched up with its infrastructural development, hence creating congestion and unsightly sites in some parts of the national capital.