Adequate supply of housing remains a challenge in developing countries. This article assesses the extent of housing poverty in developing countries and its implication for decent accommodation1 in Swedru, Ghana. Using a cross-sectional survey design coupled with stratified and systematic sampling techniques, 1,161 household participants were selected. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect raw data from 496 houses in 16 neighbourhoods in the Swedru Township, Ghana. Findings showed that the vast majority of houses in the Swedru Township share common housing facilities such as bathroom and lavatory. This has compelled some households to resort to bathing in open spaces, while practising free range especially in the morning where households have to queue for bathing and using the toilet facility. A room occupancy rate of 5.51 indicates that households are congested and a population of 4,603 accommodated in 496 housing units is evident. It was revealed that the high level of non-decent accommodation in the municipality is attributable to ill-enforcement of building laws that has allowed houseowners to supply housing without lavatories with impunity. Hence, effective implementation of the L.I.1630 was recommended.

With the rising urbanisation of some parts of Ghana, the demand for land for various purposes is inevitable. The article assesses current trend of  large-scale land acquisition in Teshie and Kasoa. The study used semi-structured interviews to solicit primary data from key informants such as chiefs at Nyanyano-Kasoa and Tsie-We family head at Teshie, land guards, and investors who acquire large scale lands in these areas to identify the trends in such acquisitions between 2014 to 2019.The study uncovered that though there are variations in the nature of land ownership in Teshie and Kasoa, multiple sale of lands, poor land management practices, litigation and land guarding are common practices in both areas. The study found that there is an institutional gap as both the state and traditional institutions have not really done much to deal with the challenges  confronting LSLAs in these areas. It is recommended that land owning groups be engaged and educated by the Lands Commission in collaboration with Customary Lands Secretariat on proper ways to manage and sell their lands to avoid multiple sales and the conflicts that it brings. The Ghana police service should crackdown on land guarding which is an illegal activity. Keywords: Large-scale, Land Acquisition, Land Ownership, Customary Land Secretariat, Traditional Authorities

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