The Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA) has issued a blunt message for policymakers on the country's approach to addressing its deepening housing needs. According to the GIA, building more houses will not fix Ghana's housing crisis if those houses remain out of reach for the people who need them most.

In a statement marking World Architecture Day 2026, observed on Monday, October 5, under the theme "Housing is a Human Right. Build It," the Institute says the Government must place low-income households, young people and vulnerable groups at the centre of its housing policy and interventions.

The GIA's position is simple: safe, habitable and affordable housing, with secure tenure and basic services, is not a privilege. It is a right.

The GIA says delivering access to this right will take more than construction. It will take serviced land, skilled labour, local materials, supporting infrastructure and financing that ordinary Ghanaians can actually access and afford.

The Institute highlighted the important role employment and income play in housing affordability. It argued that without targeted public assistance, low-income and vulnerable households will continue to be locked out of the market, no matter how many housing units are constructed.

Calls for Review of National Housing Policy

At the top of the GIA's list is a review of the National Housing Policy 2015. The Institute wants it updated and aligned with the National Urban Policy and Implementation Plan 2026–2035, with clear targets, defined responsibilities, sustainable funding and regular public reporting on progress.

It is also pushing for a Ghana Housing Authority, established through a proper legislative process, with strong accountability built in.

On affordability, the architects want an inclusionary housing framework, one that requires qualifying residential developments to include a set proportion of affordable units, or make an equivalent contribution. The rules, they argue, must be developed through consultation, with clear criteria on affordability and eligibility, and safeguards so the framework does not kill the very projects it is meant to serve.

The GIA also wants more variety in the housing market: affordable rentals, starter homes, supported incremental construction and targeted social housing.

Proposal for Dealing with Informal Settlements

On informal settlements such as slums, the Institute says residents should be meaningfully involved in efforts to improve their own communities.

It wants the National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategy 2026–2035 folded into the plans and budgets of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies. The focus should be on water, sanitation, drainage, roads, fire safety and better housing.

Where it is safe and feasible, the GIA favours upgrading in place, letting residents stay in their communities rather than displacing them. Relocation, it says, should only happen in line with the law, due process and proper resettlement arrangements.

Affordable Housing for Low-Income Households

For young people and low-income households, the Institute is proposing affordable rental schemes, starter homes, carefully structured rent-to-own programmes and employer-assisted housing.

It also wants transparent eligibility rules, realistic financing, stronger tenancy protections and completion of the long-delayed reforms to Ghana's rental laws.

The GIA sees incremental construction as a real pathway to homeownership for Ghanaians who cannot build a whole house at once.

To support it, the Institute wants stronger links between housing programmes and technical and vocational education, artisan certification, technical supervision and local building-material testing. Small contractors and cooperatives, it says, need better access to finance.

But there is a caveat. Affordability must not come at the cost of structural integrity, fire safety, sanitation or accessibility. Incremental housing, the GIA argues, should be backed by secure land, approved designs and technical guidance, so that households can build safely, in phases.

Collaboration to Address Housing Challenges

The Institute says it is ready to work with government, the MMDAs, communities, developers, financiers and other professionals.

Architects, it notes, can bring expertise in affordable and adaptable design, climate-responsive construction and development approvals.

But the bottom line, according to the GIA, is this: recognising adequate housing as a human right means nothing unless it is built. The right must move from paper to practice and that will take everyone.