Social Right Advocate, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), has called on government to invest more in housing to lessen the woes of lower income earners from the rising cost of houses in prime areas across the country.
Speaking at a news conference in Accra, Ms Angela Amankrah, the founder of the NGO, said lack of affordable options to own properties has led many Ghanaians into the rental market, which is drastically increasing due to the rapid population growth.
She said even though some areas in the capital city have for instance witnessed significant growth in both residential and commercial properties, those properties are a “no go area” for the ordinary Ghanaian because of the high price value.
She thus called on government and the responsible ministries to come out with short and long term measures to help solve the housing menace.
Ms Amankrah said there was also the urgent need for thoughtful city planning and urban renewal, including sustainable construction of new homes, remodeling and upgrading of existing housing and the creation and maintenance of public spaces.
“We envision a transformation of our slums to lower income housing that can be characterized as a healthy area with water, sanitation, public services and social security,” she said.
Ms Amankrah also appealed to local investors, multilateral organisations, foreign investors and civil societies to come on board and collaborate with government by putting in place a sustainable financial arrangement that could help realize the affordable housing dream for the ordinary Ghanaian.
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