Dr. Ebenezer Ankomah Gyamera, an engineer and lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, has urged the Ministry of Local Government to adopt a “No Building Permit, No Utility” policy to curb the rising illegal development across Ghana.
His call follows a post‑mortem of the two‑day national general clean‑up exercise ordered by President John Dramani Mahama and held nationwide.
Dr. Gyamera said the policy would move development control from reacting to illegal structures after they are built to preventing unauthorized occupation in the first place.
“If we implement a no permit, no utility policy, we will stop people from occupying buildings that were put up without approval. The focus should be on prevention, not demolition after the fact,” he told Onua News in an exclusive interview.
Dr. Gyamera indicated that many sanitation and flooding challenges that surfaced during the clean‑up are linked to unplanned buildings, blocked drains and structures erected in waterways without permits.
The lecturer at the Department of Soil Science at the UCC School of Agriculture argued that limiting utility connections to properly permitted buildings would create a powerful incentive for compliance with planning laws.
Under his proposal, utility providers such as the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Limited would be required to demand both a valid building permit and an occupancy permit before connecting electricity and water to new structures.
“When developers know they cannot access basic utilities without approval, it will force compliance and reduce the pressure on assemblies to demolish completed structures,” he said.
Dr. Gyamera also highlighted the importance of traditional leadership in ensuring successful community clean‑ups.
He told Onuanews that the absence or low turnout of chiefs and queen mothers during the two‑day exercise discouraged wider community participation.
“Chiefs hold vital moral authority and customary influence their direct involvement, such as active leadership shown in their communities, is what really drives people to come out and participate,” he said.
His assessment noted that many communities recorded poor turnout largely because traditional authorities were not visibly leading the effort.
The lecturer appealed to traditional leaders to take ownership of sanitation drives in their areas to ensure success.
“Respectfully, i would like to appeal to our traditional leaders to ensure the success of sanitation exercise drives in the community because when the chief leads, the people follow,” he said.
Policy implications and next steps
Dr. Gyamera’s proposal would require coordinated action by the Ministry of Local Government, municipal and district assemblies, utility providers and traditional authorities.
- Implementing a “No Building Permit, No Utility” rule would likely need:
- Clear legal or regulatory backing to require utilities to verify permits.
- A streamlined, transparent permitting and occupancy inspection process to avoid delaying legitimate development.
- Public awareness campaigns so developers and homeowners understand new requirements.
- Engagement with traditional leaders to strengthen community buy‑in and local enforcement.
Dr. Gyamera is confident that his recommendation will be considered in ongoing conversations on urban planning, sanitation and flood resilience in Ghana.
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