Gov't ready to welcome Chinese investors in real estate sector - Housing Minister
Following calls for the government to open up to Chinese real estate developers to help address the housing deficit in Ghana and provide affordable housing, the Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Gilbert Agyei has said the government was ready for any such partnership.
Addressing a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday [Jan 28, 2026] Mr Agyei, expressed strong support for the proposal, saying the country's severe housing deficit requires all available solutions.
He said he would actively encourage Chinese and other foreign developers to enter the market as part of efforts to expand housing supply and moderate rents, particularly in urban areas.
"I will even in rush for them," the minister said when he asked about Chinese investors.
He explained that with a housing deficit as severe as Ghana's, turning away potential developers would be counterproductive.
He said the President himself had pressed him on reducing the housing shortage, making it clear that rejecting willing investors was not an option.
Mr Agyei said he had already taken steps to attract foreign developers, including reaching out to the contractors association in Turkiye during a recent visit.
He said the government would,however, not allow an unregulated influx of foreign developers.
He said all projects would be vetted, with particular attention to funding sources, and that developers would be required to comply with Ghana's building standards and construction laws.
"We will not just receive them, we will look at the source of the funding of the project. And we will also guide them based on our built standards and our built laws," Mr Agyei explained. "We use that one to guide them, not just that they can just flood in, because we also have to think about Ghanaians."
He stressed that increasing the number of developers in the market was essential to bringing down rents, which have risen due to housing shortages.
"We will receive them, because we need more people to enter into the built market. Because that is the only way rent can also come down. Because now rent is going up because we don't have a lot of houses. But if we have a lot, then rent will definitely go down," he said.
Mr Agyei also provided an update on the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development project (GARID), which is focused on flood control in the capital. He said the project had gained momentum after experiencing earlier delays.
Following inspections of project sites with the President, it was discovered that contractors had fallen behind schedule. An accelerated work plan was subsequently introduced, with some contractors now working round the clock.
The minister expressed confidence that the revised schedule would enable completion on time.
He said the total cost of GARID stood at 187.2 million dollars, with 65 million dollars spent during the COVID-19 period under the previous administration. The project is entirely financed by the World Bank.
Mr Agyei also spoke about flood mitigation efforts across Greater Accra and other regions. He said the government allocated approximately GH¢30 million in 2025 for drainage interventions at various locations, including Abelemkpe, Abetifi Town, Weija SCC, London Bridge in Cape Coast, and Kasoa Millennium City in the Central Region.
