Professor Abdulia Abdul Gafaru, Associate, Professor of the University of Ghana Business School has expressed disappointment in the failure of successive governments to champion the cause of making housing affordable in Ghana.
The Associate Professor is much concerned about the paucity of houses especially in the big cities on top of the struggle one has to go through in acquiring affordable accommodation in the
cities.
The Associate Professor, University of Ghana Business School stated categorically that the government of Ghana’s affordable housing projects is not helping or benefiting the poor at any time.
According to him, the country had a situation where projects get abandoned during political transitions for political reasons.
“We have a situation where parties are so keen on, appear more committed than what they can take. what they can sort of like take as something that will enhance their own political capital as opposed to what exactly needs to be done to enhance the welfare of the citizens,” he stressed.
Speaking at Public Engagement on the Ghana Cities Monitor held at Fiesta Royale hotel in Accra, he said so many affordable housing and housing projects that don’t actually end up benefiting the poor. For instance, most of these so-called affordable housing projects, often focused on formal sector workers alone.
What happens to those working in the informal sector? So that is the problem of actually not doing enough in terms of promoting the issue of affordable housing, but again some of these issues get even more and more complicated.
For his part, Gilfred Asiamah Research Fellow of CDD-Ghana explained that the (GCM) Ghana Cities Monitor will help citizens help identify pertinent challenges facing the urban cities development.
According to him, government policy decision-makers should always take into consideration suggestions from citizens for them to feel they are part of the local governance system of the country.
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He opined that the government’s inability to inculcate the citizenry in local governance participation is the course migration of people moving mostly from the Northern sector to the southern sector of Ghana
To him, the passage of a national urban plan will serve as a very good opportunity where the leadership, or these people who have the authority will listen to what the people are saying so that they focus on areas where there are major challenges.
“We want the government to listen to the people. We want all of us the media, and civil society, to also keep discussing issues that are very peculiar to citizens, the quality of life of citizens in our city and urban spaces, and how well we can do to ensure that we resolve these challenges.
So that the quality of life across urban areas will be improved. And again, urban areas will become more competitive in promoting socio-economic developments,” he added.
Report By Bernard K DADZIE
