President of the Association of Building & Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana, Prosper Yao Ledi, has bemoaned the total disregard for housing laws in the country.
He believes that all persons in the country have contributed to the housing problems, one way or the other.
He voiced this opinion during the housing sector discussion held on the Special Happy Development Dialogue edition of the ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ show.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Affordable Housing in Ghana, a Reality or a Mirage’, he stated: “There are laws in Ghana. However, our actions clearly show that we don’t respect these laws. For example, it is mandatory for anyone building a house to consult town planners who will inspect the location before the project even begins. However, people do not adhere to the law and do as they please”.
Prosper added that in the past, builders consulted inspectors to give “an orientation on where a house can be situated, where water and electricity will flow, among others”, even before beginning a project. He shared, however, that the narrative is different now.
Meanwhile, the Association’s President has called on the government to engage the chamber of building contractors to proffer a solution to the above-mentioned menace.
Preliminary report from the Ghana Statistical Service on the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) has revealed that about 2.1 million structures are metal containers, kiosks and structures.
This number represents twenty percent of the 10.7 million structures listed in the Population and Housing Census.
According to the report, “The 2021 PHC is the first time that data was collected on all structures regardless of use. Previous censuses only collected information on structures used for residential purposes. The 2010 PHC recorded 3.4 structures for residential use, which is 2.5 million less the 5.9 counted in 2021”.