Ghana's housing industry to comply with regulatory requirements

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Albert Abongo, has asked stakeholders in the building and construction industry to comply with the various regulatory requirements to ensure appropriate long-term decisions for the sector.

“Those working in the industry need to ensure that they make the right decisions for the long-term, and those industry practitioners must consider carefully both the tangible and intangible aspects,” he said.

Industry experts contend that the cost of housing in the country is very expensive, of which cost of building materials, services and over-reliance on imported materials are the major impediment to developing the nation’s housing sector.

The country is challenged with a housing deficit of 500,000 units. This is against rapid population growth and an uncontrollable rate of urbanization which have made housing one of the most critical issues facing the country.

Mr. Abongo made these known at the opening of the 7th International Building Exhibition and Seminar in Accra.

The exhibition, organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Works and Housing saw over 50 companies in the building and construction industry participating in the four-day exhibition and networking, under the theme “Attaining Ghana’s Housing and Construction Objectives through Efficient Planning, Designing And Innovation”.

The fair was being run alongside seminars that discussed the cost of construction and promotion of effective maintenance culture among other things. It was aimed at showcasing quality innovative products and services for all stages of construction, finishing and furnishing as well as dialoguing on current issues impacting on stakeholders in the construction and building industry.

Mrs Efua Houadjeto, Managing Director of Image Consortium and Exhibition Director said: “Attaining Ghana’s housing and construction objections implies the deployment of resources, facilities, products and services as well as the formulation and implementation of policies that guarantee the security of the physical, economic and social well-being of the communities.

“The need for all stakeholders to make an input into the efficient infrastructural planning and execution of the country’s plans cannot be over-emphasised.

For the country to have independent, well-planned and properly developed cities and towns, we need to constantly run advocacy campaigns and strategic events that seek to highlight the significance of the needs,” Mrs Houadjeto said