Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, with the government outlining four key priority areas aimed at building inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Political Forum in New York, the Deputy Minister, Rita Naa Odolley Sowah, said Ghana remains focused on delivering the global urban development framework despite the growing challenges posed by rapid urbanisation.
She said the country’s priorities include scaling up affordable and inclusive housing through the implementation of the 2024 Housing Profile recommendations and the National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategy, as well as strengthening integrated urban development and spatial planning through the National Urban Policy (2026–2035).
According to the Deputy Minister, Ghana is also expanding urban infrastructure and promoting local economic development through flagship initiatives such as the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme, the Greater Accra Resilience and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, the Smart SDGs Programme and the Sustainable Cities Programme.
She added that government is advancing climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable cities while strengthening urban governance, institutional capacity, coordination and data systems, including plans to operationalise a Ghana Urban Observatory.
Rita Naa Odolley Sowah described the High-Level Meeting as an important milestone towards achieving the New Urban Agenda by 2036 and commended the United Nations for providing a platform to assess progress, identify implementation gaps and renew global commitment.
She highlighted Ghana’s progress over the past decade through strong national leadership, decentralised governance and evidence-based planning led by the National Development Planning Commission and the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
The Deputy Minister noted that digital systems, skills development and increased private sector participation have strengthened urban governance, economic productivity and institutional performance.
Despite these gains, she acknowledged that rapid urbanisation continues to outpace development efforts, particularly in the housing sector.
“Ghana currently faces a housing deficit of more than 1.8 million units, while about 37 percent of the urban population lives in informal settlements,” she said, explaining that these challenges have informed the government’s renewed focus on affordable housing and sustainable urban development.
Looking ahead, Hon. Sowah said Ghana will intensify efforts to scale up affordable housing and slum upgrading, strengthen local government fiscal capacity, expand sustainable urban financing, integrate climate resilience into urban planning and infrastructure, and improve data systems and digital governance.
She stressed that these objectives would be pursued in partnership with development partners, the private sector and local communities.
The Deputy Minister also called for stronger international cooperation, urging the global community to increase predictable financing for housing and urban development, provide direct access to climate finance for cities and expand technical and multilateral collaboration.
The New Urban Agenda was adopted during the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016 and later endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly. It provides a global framework for sustainable urbanisation and promotes well-planned, inclusive and resilient cities as drivers of sustainable development.
Ghana’s delegation to the High-Level Political Forum included members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Water Resources, Works and Housing, as well as officials from the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Works and Housing.
