By Edward Dankwah, GNA
Accra, Aug. 31, GNA – The National Homeownership Fund (NHF), in collaboration with government agencies and development partners, will convene a two-day National Conference on Housing Finance to explore innovative solutions to Ghana’s housing financing challenges.
The conference, scheduled for October 7 and 8, 2026, will be held in commemoration of World Habitat Day and bring together local and international stakeholders to mobilise expertise, financing, and partnerships for affordable housing delivery.
Mr Prosper Hoetu, Chief Executive Officer of the NHF told the Ghana News Agency that the conference would focus on addressing structural barriers that have limited access to decent and affordable housing, particularly for low- and middle-income households.
The 2024 Ghana Housing Profile estimated the country’s housing deficit at approximately 1.8 million units, with more than 30 per cent of existing housing stock considered inadequate.
He said many households continued to live in overcrowded conditions, with insecure tenure and limited access to basic services, including water and sanitation.
He explained that only five per cent of Ghanaians could independently afford a home, while 60 per cent required some form of government assistance and 35 per cent required social housing.
The CEO noted that limited access to long-term financing, high interest rates, short loan tenures and inefficiencies in land administration and housing delivery remained major barriers to homeownership.
Mr Hoetu said the mortgage-to-GDP ratio remained below 0.3 per cent, while mortgage interest rates, often exceeding 30 per cent, made formal housing finance inaccessible to many low- and middle-income households.
He said the conference would seek to catalyse a fundamental shift in how housing finance was structured, delivered, and sustained in Ghana and across Africa.
He said the event would seek high-level political endorsement for housing finance reforms, generate actionable recommendations, facilitate financing agreements, and develop a roadmap for integrating climate resilience and green building standards into affordable housing finance.
The opening session is expected to bring together key government officials and international partners, while four thematic panel discussions will focus on mortgage financing, construction financing, climate and green housing, and informal and social housing.
The discussions are expected to examine ways of reducing mortgage rates, extending loan tenures, developing local currency mortgage products, expanding access for informal sector workers, and attracting long-term capital into the housing market.
The conference will also explore solutions to developers’ challenges, including high borrowing costs, limited access to long-term capital, land titling difficulties, and perceived project risks.
An exhibition will provide a platform for financial institutions, developers, technology providers, and development partners to showcase innovative housing finance products, green building technologies, and successful affordable housing projects.
The NHF said expected outcomes included a communiqué containing shared commitments, new or revised affordable housing loan products, a technical working group on green affordable housing finance and a roadmap for operationalising its homebuyer database and offtake guarantee framework, with a follow-up review scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei