PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The need to provide adequate, suitable, and equitable housing has remained an important priority of every successive Ghanaian government. Even though housing is a fundamental necessity of life, more than half of the Ghanaian population lives in inadequate houses. Hence, the objective of this paper is to discuss the fundamental philosophy underpinning adequate housing development vision in Ghana to provide a solution to the current housing problems faced by the low-income groups. The data used in this paper were derived from secondary sources only, through a detailed review of related literature on the subject to meet the research objectives. The study is an in-depth literature exploration on the fundamental philosophy underpinning housing development vision in Ghana. Unlike housing development in other African States which has its underpinning in its Constitution, the philosophical basis for housing development in Ghana is not completely supported in the Ghanaian constitution. The foundation is found in separate Ghana Development Plans as deemed necessary by the previous and even the current government as a follow-up to their manifesto before being elected into government. For instance, the present government involvement in housing provision is as a result of the manifesto’s declaration, which states that: every Ghanaian must have a home though not necessarily own a house, as a meaningful expression of the right to shelter.