Meeting Housing-Space Demand through in Situ Housing Adjustments in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana

Abstract

In this primary research-based paper I highlight an officially neglected housing supply strategy in Ghana. I discuss the ubiquitous in situ housing strategies employed by households of varying socioeconomic means for meeting housing-space demand and the factors that condition these strategies in the Madina-Adenta area of the rapidly expanding Greater Accra Metropolitan Area. Income and available housing space, household and room occupancy rates, changes in household size, length of residence, tenure, and housing stress were factors in the adoption of housing-space strategies. While 44% of respondents expressed great need for additional housing space, lack of financial resources and the problem of affordability were primary constraints on their ability to employ an incremental housing-space strategy. Access to a good supply of affordable housing credit is thus viewed as a critical housing policy mechanism for enabling in situ housing construction.

An assessment of residents’ housing satisfaction and coping in Accra, Ghana

“…For instance, Ghana, the context of this research, currently faces a housing deficit of between 750,000 and 1.3 million units (Ghana Real Estate Development Association 2009). Within such a depressed housing market, the majority of residents are forced to cope with their existing housing environment, including in situ residential change, which involves remaining in residence and making a housing adjustment to meet needs (Awanyo 2009). …”

Public choice theory and rental housing: an examination of rental housing contracts in Ghana

“…In Kumasi, Ghana's second largest city, the share of the urban population renting is 57 per cent (Obeng-Odoom, 2011a), while in the Accra Metropolitan Area, 67 per cent of residents are renters (Gough and Yankson 2011). This substantial level of housing arises because households find it extremely difficult to enter into the Ghanaian housing market as owners for reasons such as the constraints in land acquisition (Abdulai and Ndekugri, 2007), high and rising costs of home ownership (Arku et al, 2012;Awanyo, 2009), low incomes for the vast majority of people (Ametefe et al, 2011) and the problem of severe housing shortages.…”

The Changing Face of Compound Houses in Ghana and Its Effect on Rental Value: A Case Study of Selected Neighborhoods in Kumasi, Ghana

“…Generally, a compound house is a single or multi-storey structure with suites of single-banked rooms (single, and chamber and hall units) that can be accessed from an unroofed square or rectangular courtyard (Awanyo, 2009). Figure 1 gives a good pictorial view of a typical compound house in Ghana.…”

“…All the households that live in these rooms share common facilities and space. They share a common bath, toilet, drying lines, water taps, electricity and an open space or courtyard that is used for cooking, as children's playground and for family gatherings such as funeral or naming ceremonies (Awanyo, 2009;Mahama and Antwi, 2006). However, it must be noted that not all compound houses have all these common facilities.…”