Public Housing In Ghana: A Case Study Of The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area

Abstract

The global urban population has seen significant growth over the past decades. The rapid rate of urbanisation has created critical infrastructure challenges to sustainable development. Among these challenges is housing. More individuals have become homeless, the number of slums and squatter communities is growing, and house prices are rising. In Ghana, policymakers have struggled to tackle the housing crisis through various programs. The role of the state in housing provision has changed due to the recent subscription to neoliberal policies. This change in the government’s role in housing provision has affected supply and access to housing, for example, which encourages private ownership and construction of housing, especially in the urban space. Within this context, the study sought to analyse the role and acceptance of public housing as a solution to the housing challenges within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA). Four communities with public housing projects in GAMA were studied. A mixed-methods approach, triangulating surveys, key informant interviews, and observation, was deployed. The 2015 National Housing Policy was analysed to ascertain the shift in the government’s approach to public housing. The study showed that people prefer public housing through rent or buying rather than private formal or informal housing units. The security of tenure associated with dwelling in public housing is the main reason why people prefer public housing. Despite the preference for public housing, most respondents have not tried accessing public housing due to their perception of bias in the allocation of public housing. The study also examined the spatiality of public housing and found that because most people settled in their respective communities to be closer to their place of work, they are unwilling to secure public housing, most of which are situated far from the city centres. And will not be willing to rent or buy a public housing unit at places far from their place of work. The study recommends a revised housing policy and provision approach that will ensure that the housing demands of both formal and informal employees and low- and high-income families are met.