UN-Habitat, the human settlements programme of the United Nations, has reaffirmed its commitment to working with the Ghanaian government to achieve sustainable urbanisation and enhance climate change resilience.
This was revealed during a meeting between Hon. Francis Asenso-Boakye, Minister of Housing for Ghana, and Her Excellency Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, on Monday, June 27, 2022, at the World Urban Forum (WUF11) being held in Katowice, Poland, with the theme "Transforming our cities for a better urban future."
The two presidents engaged in discussions that included looking at potential partnerships aimed at resolving both domestic and international problems. These included adjusting to climate change, addressing the effects of growing urbanisation on communities, towns, and economies, and providing Sustainable urban development aims to "make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable" in order to fulfil Sustainable Development Goal 11.
In her remarks, Her Excellency Maimunah Mohd Sharif commended Ghana for being one of the few nations to have prepared and submitted their report on the New Urban Agenda's implementation and stressed the importance of giving affordable housing in cities top priority because it is connected to the provision of fundamental and essential services like water, sanitation, and public health. One of the best ways to guarantee that cities are planned and built in a way that eventually benefits a greater portion of society is to provide affordable housing, according to UN-director. Habitat's
She emphasised the need for the nation to take the issue of climate change adaptation seriously once more and applauded plans by the Ghanaian president to establish a National Urban Forum, a venue for bringing together local stakeholders at various levels to look into ways to strengthen cities' resilience and gain a deeper understanding of how national urban policies relate to current crises. Additionally, it will serve as a forum for high-level discussion on how national urban policies may be used to solve problems with the environment, housing, mobility, spatial planning, and innovation and technology.
Hon. Asenso-Boakye responded by expressing his gratitude for the courtesy shown to him and his colleagues. In addition to addressing the housing shortfall for a sizable sector, he reiterated the need to emphasise affordable housing. but also making sure that cities are planned and developed in a more sustainable and inclusive manner, in keeping with the World Urban Forum's focus for this year. He pointed out that Ghana has created a framework that aims to offer housing in a more planned and long-term way to solve the housing difficulties the nation is now facing.
The establishment of the Ghana Housing Authority was decided upon in order to build a strong institutional framework for the development and implementation of Affordable Housing Programs throughout the nation, according to Hon. Asenso-Boakye.
The National Housing Authority will not only act as a sector regulator but will also plan, develop, and supervise Ghana's housing development, he stated. We have made the decision to take the initiative in bringing together key industry players to establish the NHA and to look for creative ways to foster an environment that will allow the private sector to take the lead in providing safe, decent, and affordable housing, particularly for Ghanaians with low to moderate incomes.
The global event, which is currently taking place in the Polish city of Katowice, is being held under the theme "Transforming our cities for a better urban future." The Minister for Works and Housing, who is leading Ghana's delegation to this year's event, is also anticipated to participate in a Ministerial Roundtable as part of the global event.