Community Participation in a Social Housing Slum Upgrade Project in Ghana: Insights and Lessons from Amui Djor—Ashaiman, Greater Accra Region

In Ghana, research shows that Social housing has been neglected in the housing deficit reduction strategy. This case study on the Tema-Ashaiman Slum Upgrading Facility project (TAMSUF), the Amui-Djor Social Housing project is underpinned by a Pragmatist philosophy and adopts a mixed method approach. The study provides insight into how community involvement and stakeholder engagement are instrumental in developing a sustainable and resilient social housing module for Ghana. Funding for the project was from slum dwellers with support from stakeholders such as UNDP and UN-Habitat. Professional and Technical input was from the Ministry of Works and Housing (WH), Ministry of Local Government (MLG), Housing the Masses (HM), Tekton Consult, and Peoples Dialogue (PD). The Slum dwellers negotiated with the Ashaiman Traditional Council for land, they were given 2.18 acres of land in exchange for three flats from the project while the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly granted permits. The scheme delivered a 2-story-31-unit mixed-use housing complex with twelve rental stores and a twelve-seater public washroom at the cost of USD 400, 000.00, and it was delivered within 6 months. The project was successful, and lessons learned suggest that social housing is possible with community engagement and involvement as discussed in Arnstein’s theory of community participation. The main findings show the community's involvement in sourcing for funding, acquiring land, agreeing on the housing design, and the post-occupancy management of the project. Responses show that Social housing improves quality of life and that there is a need to pilot it in Ghana.