President of Ghana Institute of Architects, Arc. Joseph E. Hayford, has indicated that, considering Ghana’s population growth and by estimation, the country would need two million housing units to be able to solve its housing deficit.
Mr. Hayford disclosed this at a pre-conference held to launch the Housing and Economic Development Conference 2017.
The Housing and Economic Development Conference is a platform for stakeholders to deliberate on matters relating to the housing sector, especially issues about affordable housing.
It will also consider government’s legislation and public policies on affordable housing to address the confidence against risk for the general involvement of key players, and strategies to promote education in the general public to understand the issues regarding affordable housing.
The concept of affordable housing was introduced in 2005 by the then New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, as part of interventions for the housing sector, aimed at providing accommodation for the low to middle income earners who were mostly government employees.
According to Mr. Hayford, urbanisation has placed a heavy burden on Ghana in terms of housing, hence creating huge deficits and making it difficult for government alone to address the issue.
He averred that the conference will engage stakeholders to connect and find solutions to the country’s housing deficit, adding that stakeholders will also influence government policies so as to achieve shelter for all Ghanaians in a specific time.
He indicated that apart from housing, urbanisation puts an acute strain on healthcare, employment, education, recreation, space, transportation, energy and other basic human needs.
“…in our inability to cope in providing for the foregoing, social ills of crime, poverty, pollution, flooding, land degradation, disease and climate change among others also result.”
Mr. Hayford said there was therefore the need for government to engage the services of domestic developers in policy design of housing, and by so doing will create jobs for Ghanaians and retain profit in the country to bolster national economy.
He observed that because most people are unable to meet the current prohibitive mortgage terms, it would be prudent for government to partner local developers in all the states of estate development for a successful affordable housing.
Commenting on whether the Affordable Housing units are really affordable, he admitted that these units meant for low and middle income public, civil servants and security service personnel, were clearly out of their range and that the conference will address such issues and propose the use of local materials in the design of these building so as to make it affordable for the targeted people.
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