The conversation continues on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show to find innovative and strategic implementations to make housing affordable in Ghana.

One approach entails hiring the right engineers. Chairperson in charge of Civil and Technical Division of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, Joseph Odei, told the show’s host Daniel Dadzie Wednesday that in many cases, money is needlessly squandered away because trained engineers are not hired to properly assess land before construction begins.

“If you’re going to embark on certain projects without certain technical approaches, you’re going to have problems,” he said. “It is very important and it is something that isn’t done enough here.”

In May 2017, about 20 people who went to the Christlike Ministries church at Gbawe in Accra on Sunday, sustained injuries when the church building collapsed on them.

All of this could have been prevented if the right engineers were in place, said engineer Gertrude Awuni. 

“Some buildings were not designed to be offices and warehouses. Every building has a typical load for which it is designed for,” she said adding that “a residential house cannot be turned into a store building without consulting with a structural engineer.”

Odei continued that clients can sometimes confuse the difference between an architect and an engineer. He explained that the skeleton (frame) of a building depends largely on a structural engineer. The flesh (architectural design) should come after an engineer has inspected the land.

“The skeleton holds the flesh together,” he said.

The discussion raises a larger issue: affordability.

Read more: How affordable is affordable housing in Ghana?

A 2010 Population and Housing report revealed that Ghana needs at least 100,000 housing units annually to meet the country’s rapid acceleration in population.

But reality is, affordable housing in the country is scarce, according to experts.

In 2016, the Water Resources, Works and Housing Ministry unveiled the Government’s Affordable Housing Project, a plan to develop 11,000 units with the first phase of 1,500 to be completed in Prampram.

Dr. Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, the sector’s former minister, said that the project would target Ghanaians who couldn’t purchase homes, would create jobs and integrate modern elements of technology through use of solar power.

But Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Marfo says that while some improvements have been made, more needs to be done.

“It is the responsibility of government to protect the consumer,” said Osafo-Marfo. “Government must pay attention to ensure that infrastructure is made available, and made available continuously at an affordable price.”