Housing in Africa is more than mere shelter, it has become a political tool, nevertheless, it is only citizens who have adequate housing that contribute effectively to any country's meaningful development, Ghana's Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Mustapha Ahmed has said.
Dr Ahmed said housing and home ownership are therefore key to the overall development of any nation, as it impacts on the social, health and economic status of its citizens.
However he said “Ghana just like its counterparts in developing world, has huge housing deficit estimated to be in excess of 1.5 million housing units by the latest report.”
The deputy minister who was speaking at Nairobi, Kenya during this year annual general meeting and symposium of Shelter Afrique articulated that the constrains militating against the nation's ability and capacity to resolve the Housing crisis are many and similar across developing countries.
High cost and access to land with good title and free from disputes as well as as inadequate long term finance for the housing sector tops the list.
“Heavy reliance on expensive imported building materials and underdeveloped local building material industry,” Dr Ahmed said hampers many to access housing, adding, “complex and time consuming development approval procedures and lack of qualified personnel and logistics at the local level to enforce orderly development.”
Fragmentation and weak institutional collaboration among agencies involved in the provision of housing was cited in the premise of inadequate and weak inter - sectoral co-ordination between service providers and other stake holders at all levels.
Further, he said insufficient attention given to the environment factors in the planning, design, execution and maintenance of housing and infrastructure projects both at community level and state level contributes to millions without shelter.
On the demand side, Dr Ahmed pointed out “it is basically affordability, in the face of general low level of incomes of the citizenry.”
It is with this background that the Government of Ghana has fashioned out a Housing Policy with an overall goal of providing adequate, decent and affordable housing that is accessible and sustainable with infrastructural facilities using private enterprise, with government as facilitator or partner where appropriate.
“Our revised Housing policy has made specific recommendation in respect of improved access to land with good title for housing and outlined policies for increased production and usage of local building materials in construction,” he said when the country become the 43rd member after 29 years of Shelter Afriques' existence.
They have also recommended the establishment of a National Housing Fund. The fund will be used for affordable mortgages, slum upgrading and support for small scale building materials producers.
The policy has also recommended the establishment of a National Housing Authority under the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing to oversee the implementation of the National Housing Policy, which is ready for submission to the country's Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Ghana seeks to introduce new incentives to direct Public Private Partnerships in the provision of housing facilities in line with its Medium Term Development Framework and therefore requires collaboration with institutions like Shelter Afrique to assist it, to develop a platform that will promote support of the financing of the Private Sector in the provision of affordable housing for its citizenry.
Said he: “Ghana fully recognizes that its membership apart from facilitating access to financing for the development of real estate, affordable housing and more; will provide us with access to Shelter Afrique's experience for housing financing and policy formulation; including access to capacity building for financial institutions dealing with housing finance; information sharing and experiences on the best practices in housing development and delivery.”
Ghana is looking forward through its membership in Shelter Afrique for effective promotion of intra – Africa trade in building materials and financial services.
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