Ghana’s inability to meet its growing housing demand largely stems from partisan politics, parochial interests, and a lack of continuity in government housing programmes, the newly appointed Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Ahmed Ibrahim, has said.

Speaking at the official ministerial handover ceremony between outgoing Minister Kenneth Gilbert Adjei and himself, Mr Ibrahim argued that Ghana’s housing challenges cannot be solved by one political party or one administration.

He said successive governments have initiated housing projects that have remained incomplete after changes in political administration, wasting resources and leaving thousands of Ghanaians without decent, affordable homes.

“What is wrong with us as a country? Too partisan, too parochial, too selfish. We need to eschew this and come together,” Mr Ibrahim stated.

He compared Ghana’s housing record with that of Côte d'Ivoire and asked, “Why is it that Côte d’Ivoire, in the last ten years, has built about 50,000 houses? And Ghana, from 2012 to date, we have built 5,000, and we can’t even complete them. What is wrong with us as a country?”

According to him, the situation demonstrates the urgent need for a national housing vision that transcends electoral cycles and political party interests.

“No single party can do it. That is why, from President Kufuor, you have affordable housing, incomplete. President Mahama, you have projects incomplete. And now even your 160 houses that you are building in eight districts, incomplete,” he said.

The Banda Member of Parliament stressed that housing projects require political consensus because governments have limited time in office to conceive, finance, and complete ambitious programmes.

“If you have an ambitious housing project, how will you complete it? You will need the buy-in of the other party so that we move together as a country,” he said.

He, therefore, called for the establishment of a national development agenda, rather than a partisan one, insisting that political transitions should not result in the abandonment of projects started by previous administrations.

The minister also urged the ministry's directors, agencies, and other stakeholders to work collaboratively and maintain administrative continuity.

“We are not building (political) parties. We are building a country, and it is our responsibility to house Ghanaians,” he said.

Mr Ibrahim further called for closer cooperation among current and former ministers and officials, saying the expertise accumulated over the years must be harnessed to address Ghana’s development challenges.

He said his administration would build on existing progress, describing the transition as a relay in which responsibility is handed from one person to another.

Outgoing Minister Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, who is moving to the Ministry of Defence, also acknowledged the scale of Ghana’s housing challenge.

“The challenges in the housing sector remain significant. The demand for decent and affordable housing continues to grow,” he said.

Mr Adjei urged his successor to build on the work already undertaken, assuring him that the ministry was staffed by capable professionals.

The handing-over ceremony was attended by directors of the ministry, heads of departments and agencies, professional bodies, and other stakeholders.

Mr Ibrahim, who was recently reshuffled, moved from Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs to the present ministry, pledged to work with all of them in a spirit of humility, openness, and professionalism as he seeks to advance what he described as a national responsibility to “house Ghana.”