The Tenants Union of Ghana has threatened to demonstrate over the government's failure to decisively resolve the housing crisis.

According to the Secretary-General of the Union, Mr. Frederick Opoku, successive governments have paid lip-service to reducing the huge deficit in the housing sector.

He made these comments on Prime Morning on Thursday in an interview with Doreen Avio.

Mr. Opoku claimed that about 18 million Ghanaians living in the country do not have a roof over their heads as a result of their inability to afford the ever increasing rent charges.

The NPP government, in its 2020 manifesto, promised to establish the National Housing and Mortgage Finance Scheme to address both the housing supply and demand-side financing challenges.

"By the close of this year [2022], we ought to do one powerful demonstration in this country for the government to know that it can never take the people for a ride. Housing Minister [Francis Asenso-Boakye] should step up the game; and that he was brought in to fix the situation," he said.

They also promised to make it easier to build low- and middle-income housing in the short, medium, and long term.

Many of these projects are yet to see the light of day. Some of the constructed facilities have either been abandoned or are not affordable for ordinary Ghanaian workers.

The Tenants Union is convinced that the government is taking Ghanaians for a ride, hence the need to protest by the end of 2022 in a bid to bring some sanity.

Mr. Frederick Opoku accused President Akufo-Addo’s government of being unresponsive to the plight of ordinary Ghanaians.

"He has been a very irresponsible President when it comes to housing. He made pledges to the people of Ghana... We have over 18 million active population who do not have a place to sleep, so he cannot continue to govern this country and we are about to step out, and if we step out, maybe his government will be very unpopular," he stressed.

The Secretary-General also called on the Rent Control Department to institute measures to prevent landlords exploiting their tenants and threatening them with unlawful evictions.

The Rent Control Department claimed it had resolved 89% of disputes that came to its outfit, but Mr. Opuku wants the Department to be very responsive in its approach in dealing with the problems in the sector.