For years, Ghana’s housing debate has revolved around one headline figure: a national shortage commonly estimated at about 1.8 million homes. The number is useful. It signals that housing supply has failed to keep pace with population growth, urbanisation and household formation.
But it tells only part of the story. A household may have a roof over its head and still live without adequate sanitation, safe waste-disposal arrangements, clean cooking fuel, durable construction or enough space. Counting the homes that are missing does not tell us whether the homes that already exist are healthy, safe and adequately serviced.
