Housing Policy in Ghana: The Feasible Paths

Abstract

Several housing policies have been implemented in Ghana since independence in 1957. Despite these policies, housing in Ghana is characterized by inadequate housing stock, overcrowding, congestion, housing decay, and neighbourhood blight. The paper examines the outcomes of pre and post-colonial housing policies in Ghana. It determines the feasible way forward for the country’s housing policy. This is done through literature, documentary and archival surveys. It notes that past housing policy interventions in Ghana failed to realize their intended objectives. The paper suggests that housing policies in the country should focus on developing the housing finance market; establishing community based housing finance schemes; enforcement of planning controls; and confining government’s role to regulating the housing market rather than assuming housing developer and financier responsibilities.Keywords: Housing Policy, Housing Finance, Planning Controls, Housing Research, Ghana