Housing Policy in Ghana: The Feasible Paths

Na Boamah

doi:10.4314/gjds.v11i1.1

Abstract

Several housing policies have been implemented in Ghana since independence in 1957. Despite these policies, housing in Ghana is characterized by inadequate housing stock, overcrowding, congestion, housing decay, and neighbourhood blight. The paper examines the outcomes of pre and post-colonial housing policies in Ghana. It determines the feasible way forward for the country’s housing policy. This is done through literature, documentary and archival surveys. It notes that past housing policy interventions in Ghana failed to realize their intended objectives. The paper suggests that housing policies in the country should focus on developing the housing finance market; establishing community based housing finance schemes; enforcement of planning controls; and confining government’s role to regulating the housing market rather than assuming housing developer and financier responsibilities.

Highlights

The development of a nation partly hinges on the availability of an efficient housing sector which is capable of delivering adequate housing to meet the housing needs of its citizens
Housing in Ghana is characterized by inadequate housing stock, poor conditions of the existing housing stock, haphazard development, lack of waste disposal facilities in most of the housing units, and inadequate financing mechanisms despite the formulation and implementation of several housing policies by post-independence governments of Ghana
The housing policy must create room for both the public and private sectors to contribute meaningfully to the development of the country’s housing sector. It must cater for the housing needs of both formal and informal sector workers and the low and high-income households

Summary

Introduction

The development of a nation partly hinges on the availability of an efficient housing sector which is capable of delivering adequate housing to meet the housing needs of its citizens. Post-independence governments of Ghana implemented various policies with the aim of facilitating the development of the housing sector These policies focused basically on housing subsidies, public sector housing delivery; private sector led housing market; the establishment of housing finance institutions; rent controls; slum upgrading programmes; site and service schemes; and cooperative housing schemes. Bond and Tait (1997) suggest that the private sector focused housing policy failed to increase low-income housing delivery in South Africa. They argue that the private sector may focus on delivering housing to households where the riskreward relationship may be more favorable. An efficient land use planning regime is an important tool in this regard

A Review of Housing Policies in Ghana

Findings

Conclusion