Land Administration Systems in Ghana and the Provision of Affordable Housing

Dr. Stephen Agyeman-Yeboah, PhD.

Abstract

House prices have risen dramatically and it is evident that this has prevented many people from buying their own home, consequently increasing the demand for affordable housing within Ghana. Furthermore, demand for affordable housing across the country exceeds potential supply. Housing provided by the formal sector in the country is generally too expensive relative to income levels and the number of units built is insufficient. The formal sector caters mostly for upper income households where it is profitable for private developers to produce housing. Despite government efforts to provide social housing to attend the demands for housing of poor, only a fraction of the poor has been accommodated in this way. As a result, the housing problem in Ghana is the shortage of affordable accommodation for the urban poor; the low-income majority. In view of their inability to access housing through the formal channels, the poor take it upon themselves to build their own housing. Self- build housing or progressive housing has played a major role in the production of Ghanaian’s low-income housing stock.  However, the ability of most households to build on their own is affected by many factors. The literature review found that the main constraints observed on the supply of this housing are access to titled land and access to construction finance. The land administration systems in Ghana can be described by two adjectives; complex and multiple. The entire systems have been governed by multiple laws, regulations, processes, standards and have been managed by multiple institutions with highly fragmented land administration structures, limited cooperation and coordination. As a result, there are overlapping and duplication of functions and organisations and institutional management weaknesses are evident. This results in general indiscipline in the land market.

Keywords:  Land Administration Systems,  Provision of Affordable housing

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