Ghana’s growing housing deficit and urban transport challenges require a long-term, cross-administration strategy rather than short-term interventions, Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has warned.
He highlighted that Ghana’s housing deficit currently stands between 1.8 million and 2 million units, with the gap widening by about 100,000 units every year due to increasing demand.
Speaking as the keynote speaker at the 14th Prof. John Atta Mills Commemorative Lecture on Wednesday, July 22, he said the World Bank estimates indicate that Ghana is meeting only about 33 percent of its housing needs, while more than 60 percent of the population lives in informal settlements with limited access to essential services such as water and sanitation.
“These are not statistics from a country in crisis. These are statistics from a country that has accepted crisis as its normal condition. We cannot allow this to continue,” the speaker said.
To address the housing challenges, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said Ghana requires a sustained, properly funded national strategy built around three key pillars, including the establishment of a national affordable housing fund, reforms to the mortgage system and strict enforcement of the national rent code.
“What is required is not another programme but a sustained funded cross administration strategy built on three pillars.
“A national affordable housing fund to reform the mortgage system and mandatorily enforce national rent code,” he stated.
He further linked housing challenges to the daily realities faced by workers, arguing that positive economic indicators do not automatically translate into improved living conditions for ordinary citizens.
“The indicators of microeconomic recovery as we are seeing now are real and they match up, but they do not travel to work by trotro in the heart of Accra or any other city. They do not pay rent in two years advance,” he noted.
He pointed to the difficulties commuters face in major cities, particularly Accra, where some workers spend up to two hours commuting a distance of about 3.3 kilometres due to congestion.
It further noted that daily transportation expenses consume approximately 22 percent of monthly income for middle-income workers in Accra, creating additional financial pressure on households.
To address urban mobility challenges, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng called for a comprehensive transport reform agenda, including ensuring all traffic lights function effectively, enforcing long-term traffic management systems and avoiding reliance on occasional crackdowns of traffic regulation system.
He also advocated for the creation of dedicated bicycle lanes across urban roads to make cycling a safe and dignified transport option, alongside reliable intra-city bus services with published schedules and enforceable service standards.
