Green City project must set the benchmark

President John Dramani Mahama last Saturday cut the sod for the Green City Housing Project at Dedesua in the Bosomtwe District in the Ashanti Region (Read story on pages 10&39).

It is the hope of every Ghanaian that the sod-cutting is a signal that government is serious about confronting Ghana’s housing deficit with projects that combine scale, sustainability and social impact.

For too long, housing in Ghana has been a story of unmet demand, rising costs and stalled projects.

The Green City initiative offers a chance to change that narrative.

The Daily Graphic notes that the integrated approach to this project sets it apart from others. Beyond housing, Green City is designed to have immediate access to schools, healthcare facilities, banks and supermarkets.

The vision is not just to provide shelter, but to build a complete, viable community that is safe, affordable and dignified.

In President Mahama’s words, this is about creating jobs, stimulating local enterprise and generating lasting economic opportunity in the district.

The timing could not be more urgent.

The country’s housing deficit now exceeds 1.5 million units, a gap widened by years of supply falling short of demand. Rising land values, escalating construction costs and limited access to long-term financing have put home ownership beyond the reach of many. 

Informal settlements and slums continue to expand as rapid urbanisation accelerates.

Today, more than half of Ghanaians live in urban areas, and projections suggest this could rise to 70 per cent by 2050. Cities like Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi will bear the brunt of this growth.

President Mahama was right to frame the project within the government’s “reset agenda”. It is not a slogan, but a commitment to rethink how housing, infrastructure and opportunity are delivered.

The announcement of a low-cost housing scheme for public sector workers, developed with Organised Labour and financial institutions, must reinforce this intent.

Nurses, teachers, doctors and civil servants deserve access to safe and dignified homes, and the proposed GH¢3 billion revolving fund offers a financing model that makes long-term repayments manageable.
As it is obvious to every Ghanaian, the housing deficit is one of the country’s most persistent challenges.

There must be deliberate efforts to encourage  investors and development partners to join government through public-private partnerships and rent-to-own schemes is essential.

No government can close a 1.5 million-unit gap alone. What is needed now is an ecosystem where private capital, state policy and community needs align.

The State Housing Company also has a role to play in restoring public confidence.

The company’s promise to complete 300 housing units in Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi before year’s end is a step in the right direction.

The  appeal by the company’s Managing Director, John Bawah, for the inclusion of road, drainage and sewage costs under the Big Push programme makes sense.

If infrastructure costs are absorbed at the national level, SHC can maintain its pricing advantage of being 25 to 40 per cent cheaper than market rates, making housing genuinely accessible.

Credit must also go to the Asantehene for releasing the land in good faith and for warning against encroachment and unlawful allocation.

His statement that the project has the full backing of the Golden Stool and Asanteman should deter those who might seek to frustrate or delay it.

Chiefs in the area must remain vigilant and cooperate fully with SHC to ensure the land is used for its intended purpose.

If executed well, Green City can set a new benchmark for urban development in Ghana. It combines modern design with environmental sustainability, and its collaborative framework could become a model for other regions facing similar pressures. But execution is everything.

Ghana’s history is littered with projects that started with fanfare and ended in abandonment.

The public will judge this initiative not by speeches, but by the delivery of the 214 units promised by 2027 and the quality of the community that emerges.

Decent housing is a right for all Ghanaians. and the Green City Housing Project offers a practical test of whether that right can be realised at scale.

Government, traditional authorities, labour, financial institutions and the private sector must now work together to ensure that this project moves from sod-cutting to handover without delay.