Ghana’s 1.8m housing shortfall needs immediate response – Local Government Ministry

Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, *Rita Naa Odoley Sowah*, says the country’s housing gap of 1.8 million units, combined with fast urban growth, must be tackled urgently as Ghana pushes ahead with the New Urban Agenda.

Addressing the United Nations High-Level Political Forum in New York, she said government’s focus is on making housing affordable, improving urban planning, building sustainable infrastructure, and strengthening how cities are governed.

According to her, nearly 37 per cent of people living in Ghana’s cities reside in informal settlements. Because of this, upgrading slums and providing affordable homes have become key parts of the national urban strategy.

“Housing remains our most pressing challenge. Ghana faces a housing deficit of more than 1.8 million units while up to 37% of the urban population live in informal settlements.”

The Deputy Minister added that government will also work to improve financing for cities, build the capacity of local assemblies, factor climate resilience into infrastructure, and upgrade urban data systems.

She urged the international community to provide more consistent funding, give cities direct access to climate finance, and deepen technical support to help Ghana meet its urban development goals.

“Ghana reaffirms its commitment to accelerating implementation. We will scale up affordable housing and slum upgrading, strengthen local government fiscal capacity, expand sustainable urban financing, integrate climate resilience into planning and infrastructure and enhance data systems and digital governance.

These efforts will be pursued in partnership with our development partners, the private sector and local communities.”