Communications Team Member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freda Agyemang Sarpong, has appealed to agencies in charge of housing to take steps to resolve the housing deficit in the country.
Freda Sarpong indicated that affordable housing projects targeted at those who really need them, is the way to go in resolving Ghana’s housing deficit. She disclosed that census is conducted to facilitate nation building and the recent findings which indicate that 2.1 million structures are metal containers, kiosks and structures, are worrying.
“Proactive steps need to be taken to resolve our housing deficit and these steps must favor those who really need these homes. When it comes to affordable housing, the buildings should be constructed to meet the needs of those who really need them. We should build single room apartments for the kayeyi and not 2- and 3-bedroom houses which we end up selling to the rich who will rent it out at exorbitant prices.
“What has caused such a large number of structures in the country to be inhabited by a section of the population? Is it as a result of migration or the cost of buildings? Former President Kufuor had the dream of affordable housing but how affordable is it?”
Freda Sarpong
Her appeal stems from the number of Ghanaians living in kiosks and containers after the preliminary report on the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) was published.
PHC preliminary report
Preliminary report from the Ghana Statistical Service on the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) has revealed that about 2.1 million structures are metal containers, kiosks and structures. This number represents twenty percent of the 10.7 million structures listed in the Population and Housing Census.
According to the report, the 2021 PHC is the first time that data has been collected on all structures regardless of use. Previous censuses only collected information on structures used for residential purposes.
Growth rate declining
Also speaking during the discussion on the provisional census report, a Statistician and Senior Statistics Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Louis Asiedu, said preliminary results published by the Ghana Statistical Service on the 2021 Population and Housing Census indicates Ghana’s growth rate is declining.
Citing the total number of Ghanaians captured at the end of the census, he noted that the provisional data shows that the country’s population as at now is 30.8 million. According to him, the US Population Department and the United Nations Statistical Division have all projected Ghana’s population over 31million and hopes a post enumeration exercise will correct all anomalies and up the preliminary results.
“Comparing this number to the 2010 census, one will say that we have increased in number a bit, but our growth rate is declining and it is drastic. Ghana’s low growth rate means a lot of people are dying over the number of new births recorded. If the number of deaths keep going up, that will stall the country’s growth.”
Louis Asiedu
He believes working with the actual results of the census may prove his theory otherwise. The statistician added that census should not be based on estimation but actual realities.
“It is an early day yet to conclude on this theory of possible extinction because these are preliminary figures. Let’s wait for the post enumeration data. So, if not all Ghanaians were captured, then it is worrying but hopefully the post enumeration exercise can correct some of these.”
Louis Asiedu
