By Dennis Peprah
Sunyani, (Bono), April 29, GNA – Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, an international human rights activist on Tuesday called on the government to do more and tackle the nation’s housing deficit and provide decent shelter for citizens.
“The severe housing deficit in the country which has left millions without decent shelter is a profound human rights issue that affects the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in society,” he stated.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Mr Ahenu, also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Media Foundation (GloMeF) regretted that “the nation’s housing issues has exacerbated, having dire consequences on the poor and the vulnerable in society.”
GloMeF is a Sunyani-based anti-corruption media advocacy that works to empower the vulnerable, and promote inclusive development for a just and equitable society
Mr Ahenu said Ghana’s housing deficit was estimated to be more than two million units, with an annual increase of approximately 70,000 units required to meet the growing meet demand.
“This staggering shortfall has resulted in overcrowded living conditions, with many families forced to share single rooms in dilapidated structures.
The urban areas, particularly Accra and Kumasi are the worst affected as rural-urban migration continues to swell the population in those cities,” Mr Ahenu added.
He enumerated several challenges including land acquisition fraught with legal and bureaucratic hurdles, as some of the challenges contributing to housing shortfall in the country.
The high cost of building materials, largely due to import dependency had also driven up construction costs, making housing unaffordable for the average Ghanaian, he stated, regretting that increased recent prices had exacerbated the situation.
“Landlords demanding exorbitant advance payments, often up to two years’ rent upfront place an unbearable financial burden on low-income families, who struggle to make ends meet”, he stated, saying the “high cost of rent not only exacerbates poverty but also limits access to other essential services such as education and healthcare”.
Mr Ahenu said the “nation’s housing crisis disproportionately affects the poor and marginalized groups, including women, children, and persons with disabilities.
These groups often find themselves in informal settlements or slums, where living conditions are deplorable, lacking basic amenities such as clean water, sanitation, and electricity.
He said the lack of lack of secured housing exposed them to various forms of exploitation and abuses, worrying that “for many, the dream of owning a home remains elusive, as mortgage facilities are inaccessible due to high interest rates and stringent eligibility criteria.”
Mr Ahenu said the absence of affordable housing options left the poor trapped in a cycle of poverty with little hope for upward mobility, and saying “corruption has often derailed efforts to provide affordable housing in the country.”
“Political will appears to be lacking, as successive governments failed to prioritize housing as a critical component of national development,” he stated.
Mr Ahenu therefore called for concerted efforts from stakeholders, including the government, private sector, and civil society to provide decent shelter for the vulnerable in society.
There is also an urgent need for comprehensive reforms in land acquisition processes, investment in local production of building materials, and the development of innovative financing models to make housing affordable.
He called on the government to ne committed by allocating adequate resources and ensuring transparency and accountability in housing projects, urging the need to encourage Public-Private partnerships in tackling the nation’s housing crisis.
GNA
DEN/AD