Housing Provision in Poor Communities in Ghana, the Role of Non-State Actors

The inability of the Ghana government to provide homes for its low-income citizens have forced many urban dwellers to live in congested rooms in poor communities. The chapter discusses the non-state governance structures that regulate housing in these communities through local associations. These communities become alternative to the normal dwelling spaces for the average urban dweller in Ghana not a matter of choice, but rather one of necessity. The influx of rural migrants into urban areas produce housing scarcity in urban areas. The poor migrants need shelter but the formal housing market is expensive and therefore beyond their reach. There are also people who live in old compound houses in the indigenous urban communities which lack maintenance. The poor in these areas live in bad and congested houses and lack most basic services and infrastructures. Residents in such communities seem neglected by the state. However, instead of the communities sinking into complete chaos, through local associations, the communities have become self-governing communities. The study is largely qualitative research which involves 135 participants from four poor communities selected in Accra and Winneba. The chapter discusses the extent non-state governance structures regulate access to general housing in the study areas. It uses the social capital and participatory development concepts to look at the roles local organisations play in this and further concludes that the involvement of the state is needed to ensure the implementations of sound community development policies.