By Dennis Peprah
Sunyani, (Bono), Nov. 4, GNA- Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, an international human rights advocate, has called on the government to bring the rising cost of rent in the country under control to enable the ordinary and vulnerable people to access decent housing.
He noted that high rent charges were having a huge toll on the socio-economic livelihoods of the ordinary Ghanaian and the vulnerable population, with the youth and aged unable to afford decent housing.
Mr Ahenu, also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Media Foundation, a human rights, anti-corruption and media advocacy Non-Governmental Organisation made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani.
His call followed concerns and public outcry about the increasing rent charges in Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital, and parts of the Municipality.
Checks reveal that averagely some landlords charged GH¢4,000 a month for a two-bedroom self-contained house, with a single room with washrooms going for GH¢200 a month and a single room with washrooms and kitchen pegged at GH¢300.
The rent charges, however, varied depending on the locations with most of the landlords demanding the payment of between one- and two-years advance from tenants.
Earlier, some tenants told the GNA that the high cost of rent was draining and worsening their economic burdens.
Miss Joyce Ampong, a young lady, said her tenancy agreement had expired and it was extremely difficult for her to raise between GH¢3,600 and GH¢4000 year-rent.
Reacting, Mr Ahenu said: “Those exorbitant rent charges put on tenants is a violation of their fundamental human rights to adequate and decent shelter”.
He expressed worry that the high cost of rent had denied many people decent shelter, and asked the government to act decisively and to protect the poor and the vulnerable in society from exploitation.
Mr Ahenu said the rent control laws ought to be enforced, urging the government to consider building housing units for low-income earners, saying the increasing cost of the rent partly fueled corruption.
He said affordable housing remained a key pillar of social justice, and ought to be prioritized as part of the national development agenda, saying access to safe and affordable housing was not only a privilege, but a basic human right that every Ghanaian must not be denied.
Mr Ahenu called for an effective collaboration between the government, private sector, and civil society in devising sustainable solutions that promoted decent shelter and housing for all.
GNA
Edited by Christian Akorlie