Browsing by Author "Sackey, Rosemary Amerley"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    National Housing Policies and Housing Delivery in Ghana: Analysis of Building Material Policy and Implementation Outcome
    (1998) Sackey, Rosemary Amerley
    Housing as a social need performs a vital role in economic development. Unfortunately, however, the delivery of housing worldwide has not been able to meet demand. Many developing countries, including Ghana, have realized that one of the major causes of the delivery shortage is the high cost of construction attributable mainly to the high prices of building materials. These building materials, majority of which are imported consume between 50-70 percent of the total cost of construction. To address the problem of high construction cost, policies regarding the development, promotion and utilization of locally developed building materials have been pursued by government since 1 970s. Research institutions like the Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI) and the Department of Housing and Planning Research (DHPR) both in Kumasi have been established to pioneer the development and promotion process. Efforts made by Research Institutions have resulted in technical progress in the provision of Micro-Concrete Roofing Tiles (MCRT), Clay Bricks and Roofing Tiles and the use of lime as stabilizing material inter-alia. Unfortunately however, the objectives of the policies are not realized due to lack of adequate resources for the research institutions, lack of proper policy planning and implementation methods and poor societal perception of locally developed building materials among others. Utilization levels of the locally developed building materials among both private and public estate developers are very low. Reasons advanced by these developers for such low levels include the lack of confidence in the technical durability of the materials, unreliable supply of the materials resulting in high utilization cost and delays and societal perception of the materials as “poor man’s materials”. Public sensitization and education on the comparative advantages of the local building materials over the traditional ones, adequate financial support from the government to the research institutions and producers, the proper planning and implementation of building materials policies and government leadership in the use of these materials through the District Assemblies and other public projects are issues that would have to be vigorously pursued to enhance utilization levels of the local materials.