SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF HOUSING IN THE GREATER KUMASI SUB-REGION, GHANA

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF HOUSING
IN THE GREATER KUMASI SUB-REGION,
GHANA
PREPARED BY:
RANSFORD A. ACHEAMPONG
Spatial/Urban Development
Planner
FINAL REPORT
Prepared for the JICA Study Team as Part of the Comprehensive Urban
Development Plan for Greater Kumasi Project
February 2013

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SUMMARY
This report presents a situational analysis on housing for the Greater Kumasi Sub-
Region (GKSR)—a newly designated functional region under Ghana’s new spatial
planning system for the purposes of strategic spatial planning and sustainable growth
management. The report was prepared to inform the formulation of the first
Comprehensive Urban Development Plan for the Sub-region1.
The report has three main sections. Section one focuses on analysis of the housing
situation in the GKSR based on statistical data released by the Ghana Statistical
Services on official request by the project study team2. Section two provides a
description of the physical condition of housing in the Kumasi Metropolis based on
seven main identifiable sectors of housing proposed by the author. The final section
presents the findings of a short study conducted on the role of private real estate
developers in housing supply within the GKSR.
To cite this report: Acheampong R.A., (2013), Situational Analysis of Housing in the
Greater Kumasi Sub-Region. Study Prepared for the JICA Study Team as Part of the
Comprehensive Urban Development Plan for Greater Kumasi Project.
1 Additional information about the project can be found at:
http://www.townplanning.gov.gh/greater-kumsi.html
2 The raw data for 2010 used for the analysis was released by the Ghana Statistical Services on official request by
the JICA Project Team, ahead of the official publication of the 2010 Population and Housing Census Report. The
author is happy to share the data for the purposes of research on request. Kindly contact author via email
rannie02(at)gmail.com

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SECTION 1: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF HOUSING IN
THE GREATER KUMASI SUB-REGION
1.1 Introduction
This section presents a situational analysis of housing for the 2,850km2 area defined as
the Greater Kumasi Sub-Region (GKSR). The GKSR covers the Kumasi Metropolitan
Areas (KMA) and seven surrounding districts namely; Bosomtwe, Atwima
Kwanwoma, Atwima Nwabiagya, Afigya Kwabre, Kwabre East, Asokore Mampong
and Ejisu Juaben. Although the discussions are based largely on the 2010 population3
and housing census data (quantitative) released by the Ghana Statistical Service,
reference is made to results of the 2000 census for the purposes of examining trends
and changes that have occurred over the past 10 years. The situational analysis has
been presented at different spatial scales, beginning at the sub-regional level where all
the eight MMDAs are treated as composite unit. This is taken further lower to the level
of urban areas within the GKSR; and zoomed in to the KMA at the micro scale. The
analysis is further extended to cover the urban areas within the GKSR but outside the
KMA as well as the surrounding rural areas.
It is important however, to highlight that some of the administrative units based on
which the 2000 census was conducted have had their boundaries redefined as a result
of the creation of new districts. For example, the administrative unit formerly known
as Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma was after 2000, divided into Bosomtwe and
Bosomtwe Freho districts. Bosomtwe Freho however, does not form part of the area
currently designated as GKSR. Similarly, the Atwima district after the year 2000 was
split into three districts; Atwima Nwabiagya, Atwima Kwanwoma and Atwima
Mponua. Atwima Mponua district does not also fall within the GKSR. Any comparative
analysis made between the 2000 and 2010 census information at the sub-regional level
therefore include data from Bosomtwe Freho and Atwima Mponua districts. The reason
is that, it is practically difficult to accurately disaggregate the 2000 census data to
match the newly created administrative units based on which the 2010 census was
conducted. This limitation however, does not affect comparative analysis made at the
Urban-GKSR and KMA levels. Moreover, despite carving out the Asokore Mampong
municipality from the KMA in 2012, the 2010 census treated them as a single
administrative and geographical unit as was done in 2000. This therefore allows for
comparative analysis without any drawbacks.
1.2 Population Growth within the Greater Kumasi Sub-Region
The GKSR experienced a 54.8percent increase in its resident population compared to
the regional increase of 32.3percent between 2000 and 2010. Over the same period, the

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annual growth was 4percent and 3percent for the GKSR and Ashanti region
respectively (see table 1). The higher rate of growth of the GKSR compared to the
regional average is explained by the fact that the latter includes the biggest urban
population concentrations of Kumasi, Ejisu, Mampong, Mamponteng, Abuakwa
Juaben, among others.
Table 1: Population Change and Growth Rates between 2000 and 2010
AREA
Year/Population Percentage
Change
Annual Growth
Rate2000 2010
Ashanti Region 3,612,950 4780380 32.3percent 3%
Greater Kumasi Sub-Region
(GKSR)
1,842,752 2852142 54.8% 4%
KMA(including Asokore Mampong
Municipality)
1,170,270 2123115 81.42% 6%
Kwabre ( now Kwabre East and
Afigya Kwabre)
164,668 251696 52.9% 4%
Ejisu Juaben 124,176 143762 15.7% 1%
Source: Ghana Statistical Services: 2000 and 2010 Population and Housing Census.
NB: Total population for GKSR for the year 2000 includes those of Atwima Mponua and Bosomtwe Freho districts
The KMA experienced the highest percentage increase in population (81.42percent)
and annual growth rate (6percent) between 2000 and 2010. Its administrative capital,
Kumasi is the second largest and one of the rapidly urbanizing cities in Ghana. Kumasi
also functions as a grade-1 centre within the system of settlements at the national level
as well as the capital of the Ashanti region. Given its status and strategic nodal
location, the KMA besides Accra, attracts and retains a significant proportion of
migrant population from all parts of Ghana. The Kwabre East and Afigya Kwabre
districts (formerly Kwabre district), are also experiencing rapid population increase
at annual growth rate of 4percent and an increase of 52.9percent between 2000 and
2010. These districts lie within the immediate periphery of the KMA, accommodating
population and activity spill-overs from the central areas of the KMA. Some of
Kumasi’s major peri-urban settlements experiencing rapid population growth such as
Abuakwa, Mamponteng, Asokore Mampong, Afrantwo, and Kodie are located within
the Kwabre East, Afigya Kwabre and Atwima Nwabiagya districts.
1.3. Dwelling Characteristics of Households
1.3.1Total Number of Households and Household size
The total number of households in the GKSR and KMA were 681,861, and 512,761
respectively, as of 2010. The total number of households in KMA has increased by
121.3 percent from 231,653 to 512,761 over the past ten years. The number of
households also increased within the KMA’s major peri-urban districts between 2000

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and 2010. Households in the Ejisu-Juaben municipality) increased by 25percent from
26,462 in 2000 to 33,078 in 2010. Similarly, a total of 26,200 additional households,
representing 85percent increase were recorded in the Kwabre East and Afigya Kwabre
districts (formerly Kwabre district) over the ten year period. This lends credence to
rapid peri-urbanization within the urban areas of the GKSR.
In the GKSR and KMA respectively, there are 4 persons per household on the average.
The prevailing family size in the KMA has therefore decreased from an average of 5
persons in 2000 to 4 persons in 2010. This indicates that despite the rapid increase in
population, there has been a marginal decrease in family size over the past decade in
the KMA.
1.3.1 Housing Stock and Dwelling Characteristics
The total housing stock in the GKSR has quadrupled (i.e. percentage increase of
437.52percent) whiles housing stock in KMA has increased in over six-folds over the
past ten years (see table 2). That of the Ejisu Juaben municipality also nearly tripled
from 12, 756 to 34,466 over the same period. The annual rate of growth of housing
between 2000 and 2010 in the GKSR and KMA was 18percent and 23percent
respectively.
Table 2: Changes in Housing stock between 2000 and 2010
AREA Housing Stock/YEAR Percentage
Change
Annual Housing
Growth Rate
Annual
Population
Growth Rate
2000 2010
GKSR 129,864 698,042 437.5% 18% 4%
KMA 67,434 520,234 671% 23% 6%
Ejisu Juaben
Municipality
12,756 34,466 170% 17% 1%
NB: Total housing stock for GKSR for the year 2000 includes those of Atwima Mponua and Bosomtwe Freho
districts.
Compared with annual population growth rate, it becomes evident that housing
construction increases more rapidly than population growth. This does not however
imply that housing need and demand are adequately met by supply. This is partly
because some 23,977 units of houses, representing about 3.4percent of the total
number of houses counted in 2010 were indicated to be uncompleted; most of these
were not occupied. Besides, all buildings, including make-shift structures occupied by
households might have been counted as houses although in reality, these do not
constitute decent accommodations for households. This aspect of occupancy
characteristics is explained in details in the section that follows.

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1.3.3 Types of Dwelling and Room Occupancy
Table 3 provides a summary of the number of rooms occupied by households. In the
GKSR (both urban and rural), some 63percent and 16percent of households occupy
one room and two rooms respectively. These figures do not differ significantly within
the urban areas of the GKSR and the KMA. According to the 2000 population and
housing census, about the same proportion of households (64.4percent) in 2010
occupied single rooms in the KMA. Within the urban areas of the GKSR, excluding
the KMA, about 60.9 percent of households in occupy single room. Taking only the
rural areas within the sub-region, about 58 percent have similar occupancy
characteristics. In the case of the Ejisu Juaben Municipality around 56.6percent and
18.8percent of households occupy one and two rooms respectively. This means that
more than half of households having family sizes of 4 persons on the average are
occupying a single room. Although the census did not capture the sizes of these
rooms, it can be concluded that rooms are over-crowded. The prevailing occupancy
rate can have negative implications for decent living and the general well-being of
families.
Table 3: Rooms Occupied by Households as of 2010
Number of
ROOMS
PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS
GKSR GKSR(Urban
Including
KMA )
GKSR(RURAL) GKSR(Urban
excluding KMA)
KMA
One room 63 64 58 60.9 64
Two rooms 16.4 16 19 16.1 16
Three rooms 7.5 7 9 7.7 7
Four rooms 4.7 5 5 5.4 5
Five rooms 2.8 3 3 3.6 3
Six rooms 2.2 2 2 2.8 2
Seven rooms 1.5 1 1 1.7 1
Eight rooms 0.8 1 1 0.8 1
Nine rooms or
more 1.1 1 1 1.0 1
Total 100.0 100 100% 100.0% 100
Source: Ghana Statistical Services: 2010 Population and Housing Census.
Dwelling types continue to be dominated by traditional compound houses within the
GKSR (53percent), the KMA (55.2percent) and their surrounding rural areas
(49.8percent) as shown in table 4. About 55percent of the total housing stock in the
Ejisu Juaben Municipality are also compound. The total number of compound houses
in the KMA increased by 2percent from 53.1percent in 2000 to 55.2percent in 2010.
This means that some of the new constructions over the period were compound
houses despite the increasing number of detached and semi-detached houses.
Traditional compound houses are larger in size and therefore accommodates
relatively larger numbers of households. However, within this dwelling type, many
households occupy few rooms. This explains why over half of all four-person-

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households live in overcrowded conditions in single rooms within the GKSR and
KMA.
Table 4: Types of Dwelling Occupied by Households
Dwelling Types PERCENTAGE OF HOUSING UNITS
GKSR GKSR(RURAL) GKSR(Urban
excluding
KMA)
KMA
Separate house 18 29.4 25.9 15.7
Semi-detached house 8.3 6.7 6.1 9.1
Flat /Apartment 11.2 6.4 10 12.4
Compound (room) 53 49.8 51.2 55.2
Huts/Buildings 3.1 2.1 0.7 0.8
SUB TOTAL 93.6 94.4 96.1%
Improvised home
(kiosk/container etc)
2.2
0.5
0.2 2.9
Tent 0.2 0.1 0.7 0.2
Living quarters attached to
office/shop
0.4
0.2
0.3 0.5
Other 0.2 0.2 4.9 0.2
SUBTOTAL 3 1 6.1 3.8
Uncompleted 3.4 4.5 0.1 3.0
TOTAL 100 100 100 100
From table 4, it can be inferred that 3percent of all dwellings (21,594 units) occupied
by households in the GKSR are make–shift structures such as kiosk/container, tents
and shops which are not considered decent household accommodation. Within the
KMA, about 3.8percent of dwellings (19,623 units) are sub-standard improvised
houses. The proportion of households living in houses of poor quality in the rural
areas of the GKSR is 6.1percent. These reveal the deep-seated problem of the inability
to adequately provide decent accommodation for the increasing number of poor
urban household in these areas.
Moderate estimates based on the assumption that these improvised houses are each
occupied by a family of two persons will imply that some 39,246 persons in the KMA
live in sub-standard housing. Applying the average family size of four on the other
hand, will mean that about 78,492 people do not have decent accommodations in the
metropolis. These estimates will be higher if the number of independent households
living in these make-shift structures exceeds one. Thus, although dwelling units have
increased as alluded to earlier, a larger number of them cannot also be called houses
by any acceptable standards. About 3.4percent of them are also uncompleted and
therefore might not be habitable. The highest proportion of uncompleted houses
(4.5percent) is found in the rural areas of the sub-region.

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The reasons why many residents live in sub-standard, often unauthorised structures
are not far-fetched. Due to the lack of affordable housing, some of the larger mass of
the urban population, mainly low income migrants, find accommodation in such
improvised dwelling units. These structures keep on increasing as subsequent
migrants who have social contacts in the metropolis also come to live in such houses;
in time, a whole area can degenerate into slum conditions. The wide-spread
informality in the KMA over the years is a manifestation of the multiplication of sub-
standard, often unauthorised structures that have emerged as poor households
struggle to meet their housing needs.
1.4 Tenancy Arrangement and House Ownership
Table 5 provides summary of tenancy arrangements in the GKSR and KMA as of 2010.
It can be seen that over half of all household (i.e. 27, 3006) live in rented
accommodation in the Kumasi metropolis whiles at the sub-regional level, this
constitute 47.4percent of households. Data on tenancy arrangement was not captured
in the 2000 census to allow for assessment of changes that have occurred over the past
ten years.
Table 5: Households’ Tenancy Arrangement within GKSR and KMA, 2010
Tenancy Type
GKSR GKSR(RURAL)
GKSR(Urban
excluding
KMA) KMA
Owner occupied 25.2 39.2 29.8 21.6
Renting 47.4 25.5 37.9 53.2
Rent-free 26.4 34.6 31.5 24.0
Perching 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
Squatting 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.6
Other 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Owner-occupier households constitute 25.2percent, 21.6percent and 29.8percent
within the GKSR, KMA and urban areas outside the KMA respectively. The
proportion of owner-occupier houses is around 39.2percent; the largest in all areas
within the GKSR. The survey indicated that only 1.6percent of owner-occupied houses
were financed through mortgages (see tables 6a and 6b). Thus, a larger proportion of
home owners developed their houses through personal savings. Housing construction
often takes places on incremental basis as and when household income accumulates
and becomes available. It can therefore take several years for houses to be completed
and occupied. This mechanism of financing housing in the metropolis, partly explains

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why there are many uncompleted and unoccupied houses within the peripheral areas
of the city of Kumasi.
Some 47.4 percent and 37.9 percent of all households in the GKSR and urban areas
outside the KMA respectively, live in rented accommodation. The percentage of
households living in rented accommodation is higher in the KMA (53.2%) and lowest
(25.5) in the rural areas within the GKSR. As land and house prices increases with
urbanization and financing mechanisms to own a home become almost non-existent,
many households resort to the rental market to meet their housing need. The larger
proportion of renters in the urban areas of the sub-region represents a strong market
signal for property developers who might invest in mass housing schemes.
Nearly a quarter of all households in both the GKSR and the KMA live rent-free as
shown in table 5. Within the rural areas of the GKSR, the proportion of households
living rent-free is 34.6percent. These households usually live in traditional compound
houses owned by extended family relations. About 5,877 households, representing
1percent of all households in the Kumasi metropolis are neither renters nor free-
occupiers; rather they perch with friends or relatives and sometimes squat in vacant
buildings.
Table 6a: Ownership of Dwelling, KMA, 2000 and 2010
OWNERSHIP TYPE
PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL DWELLING
UNITS
2010 2000
Owned by household member 30.6 33.6
Being purchased (e.g. mortgage) 1.6 1.9
Relative not a household member 18.1 14.5
Other private individual 44.3 37.1
Private employer 1.6 5.9
Other private agency 0.5 0.6
Public/Government ownership 2.8 2.8
Other 0.5 3.6
Total 100.0 100
Generally, government’s involvement in housing provision is very limited. This is
evidenced by the fact that only 2.8percent of houses occupied by households in the
Kumasi metropolis were provided by the public sector/government as shown in table
6; this percentage of houses actually remained constant over the past ten years.
Similarly, the involvement of private agencies (i.e. real estate developers) in the
housing market is also very limited. Only 0.5percent (i.e. 3,157 units) of houses in the
metropolis was supplied by private real estate developers between 2000 and 2010. The

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percentage of homes provided by occupant’s private employers decreased from
5.9percent in 2000 to 1.6percent in 2010 within the KMA.
Table 6b: Ownership of Dwelling 2010
OWNERSHIP TYPE
PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL DWELLING
UNITS
GKSR RURAL
GKSR(Urban excluding
KMA)
Owned by household member 44.2 35.0
Being purchased (e.g. mortgage) 0.9 1.2
Relative not a household member 26.6 24.6
Other private individual 25.7 36.7
Private employer 1.2 1.0
Other private agency 0.3 0.3
Public/Government ownership 0.8 0.8
Other 0.3 0.4
Total 100.0% 100.0%
Within the Ejisu Juaben Municipality, the percentage of owner-occupier households
has decreased marginally from 40.9percent in 2000 to 39.2percent in 2010. This means
that about 1.7percent of the additional households experienced in the municipality
over the past decade, sought accommodation in other sectors of the housing market,
probably the rental sector, rather than owning their homes.
1.5 Housing Construction Materials
The most common construction material for the walls of dwelling units in the GKSR
and KMA is sancrete blocks/concrete. This constitutes 87.2percent and 90percent of
all houses within the GKSR and KMA respectively as shown in table 7. The proportion
buildings of walls constructed with sancrete blocks and concrete in the Kumasi
metropolis increased 78.9percent to 90percent between 2000 and 2010. Although
relatively expensive building material, many home builders appear to prefer this to
other materials due to its durability compared to other materials such as mud
bricks/earth and wood.
Houses constructed with mud brick/earth are common in the rural areas of the GKSR;
about 21.4percent of dwelling units in these rural areas are constructed with these
materials. This is typical of all rural areas in Ghana. Within the Ejisu Juaben
Municipality, there has been a significant reduction in the proportion of houses
constructed with mud brick/earth from 44.2percent in 2000 to 17.8percent in 2010 (i.e.
an increase of 26.4percent). Dwelling units constructed with sancrete in the
municipality have on the other hand, increased by 30.8 percent from 46.8percent in
2000 to 77percent in 2010. This means that some of the existing housing stock that were

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constructed with mud brick as of 2000 have been replaced with more durable sancrete
materials. This trend of change of building materials have also continued in new
housing constructions over the past decade.
Table 7: Main construction material for outer wall of Houses
Materials (WALL) PERCENTAGE OF HOUSES
GKSR GKSR
(Urban Including
KMA)
GKSR
RURAL GKSR(Urban
excluding KMA)
KMA
Mud brick/Earth 6.5 3.4 21.4 6.1 3.1
Wood 2.8 3.2 1.0 0.8 3.5
Metal
sheet/Slate/Asbestos 1.1 1.1 0.8 0.9 1.1
Stone 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2
Burnt bricks 0.5 0.4 0.8 0.4 0.4
Cement blocks/Concrete 87.2 90.0 73.5 90.1 90.0
Landcrete 0.8 0.6 1.8 1.0 0.5
Bamboo 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Palm leaf/Thatch
(grass)/Raffia 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1
Other 0.8 0.9 0.3 0.4 1.0
TOTAL 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
About 3.5percent of all dwelling units in the KMA are constructed with metal
sheets/slates and wood planks. Such materials might be cheap but of low quality and
durability. This lends additional credence to the presence of sub-standard housing in
the KMA as a larger proportion of these improvised homes are constructed with such
low quality, less-expensive materials.
Most of the dwelling units in the GKSR are roofed with metal sheets, made from either
aluminium or iron as shown in table 8. Over the period between 2000 and 2010 the
proportion of buildings roofed with metal sheets increased from 84.7percent to
89.7percent. This increase might be due to the increased number of new constructions
as the percentages of other roofing materials of dwelling units have remained virtually
the same over the ten year period.

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Table 8: Main material used for the roof of Dwelling Units
Materials (Roof) PERCENTAGE
OF HOUSES
GKSR GKSR
(Urban
Including
KMA)
GKSR
Rural
GKSR
(Urban
Excluding
KMA
KMA
Mud/Mud
bricks/Earth 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.1
Wood 1.1 1.2 0.6 0.6 1.3
Metal sheet 91.1 90.3 94.9 95.5 89.7
Slate/Asbestos 1.5 1.7 0.4 0.6 1.8
Cement/Concrete 4.5 5.2 1.4 2.2 5.5
Roofing tile 0.5 0.6 0.1 0.2 0.6
Bamboo 0.2 0.1 0.9 0.1 0.1
Thatch/Palm leaf or
Raffia 0.4 0.3 1.1 0.3 0.3
Other 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.5
Total 100.0% 100.0 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Although thatched roofing with palm leaf or raffia is common in many rural areas in
the Ashanti region and Ghana, only a small proportion (1.1 percent) of houses in the
rural areas of the GKSR are roofed with this material. Given that most of these rural
houses are also constructed with sancrete, there is evidence that the structural quality
of rural housing in the sub-region is improving.
1.6 The Housing Environment: Facilities and Services
1.6.1 Sources of Energy for Lighting and Cooking
The main source of energy for lighting among households in the GKSR and the KMA
is electricity supplied through the national grid. Within the GKSR, about 86.7percent
of households are served with electricity as shown in table 9. The proportion of
households in the Kumasi metropolis using electricity for lighting increased from
88.4percent in 2000 to 91.18percent in 2010.
As shown in table 9, about, 12.5percent of families, (representing 85,001 households)
in the GKSR do not have access to electricity, Gas or Solar energy for lighting in their
homes. Within the KMA, about 41,117 households (8.15percent) are not connected to
the national grid; these households neither use gas nor solar energy as the source of
energy for lighting. Rather, they rely on other sources including Kerosene lamps,
Candles, Flashlight/Torch and Firewood among others for lighting in their homes.

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Table 9: Main source of lighting for the dwelling
Lighting PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS
GKSR GKSR
(Urban
Including
KMA)
GKSR
Rural
GKSR
URBAN
Excluding
KMA
KMA
Electricity (mains) 86.7 90.1 69.9 80.1 91.18
Electricity (private
generator) 0.5 0.5 0.8 0.7 0.47
Kerosene lamp 3.8 2.5 10.3 5.3 2.17
Gas lamp 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.11
Solar energy 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.09
Candle 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.17
Flashlight/Torch 7.3 5.3 17.0 12.1 4.57
Firewood 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.10
Crop residue 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.02
Other 0.2% 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.13
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0 100 100.00%
Moreover, despite the implementation of governments’ rural electrification projects
over the years throughout the country, about 30 percent of households in the rural
areas of the GKSR are not connected to the national grid and therefore do not have
access to electricity. This explains why a relatively larger share (17 percent) of
households in these rural areas relies on flashlight/torch as their main source of
lighting.
The sources of energy/fuel for cooking among households as of 2010 is summarised
in table 10 below. In all the areas under consideration, except the rural areas, about
half of all households use charcoal as their main source of energy for cooking. The
relatively fewer proportion of households (39.3percent) using charcoal in the rural
areas is quite surprising and contrary to what would be expected by many as far as
fuel use is concerned in these areas. The proportion of households using Gas for
cooking is 29.7percent in GKSR, 33percent in urban-GKSR and 34.3percent within the
Kumasi metropolis. The use of gas as cooking fuel is on a relatively lower side (11.9
percent) among households living in rural areas.

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Table 10: Main source of cooking fuel for household
Cooking Fuel PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS
GKSR
(Urban and
Rural)
GKSR
(Urban
Including
KMA)
GKSR
RURAL
GKSR Urban
excluding
KMA
KMA
None no cooking 9.7 10.4 6.4 7.2 10.7
Wood 8.8 2.4 41.2 11. 1.5
Gas 29.7 33.3 11.9 23.9 34.3
Electricity 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.6
Kerosene 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.5
Charcoal 50.1 52.3 39.3 56.6 51.8
Crop residue 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.1
Saw dust 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.14 0.2
Animal waste 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.04 0.1
Other 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.14 0.2
Total 100.0% 100.0 100.0 100.00% 100.0%
The proportion of households using charcoal as the main source of fuel for cooking in
the Kumasi metropolis decreased by 19percent from 70.9percent to 51.8percent over
the ten year period. Despite the decrease, dependence on charcoal and firewood still
remains very high among households and therefore poses serious threats to the
already depleting forest cover in these areas as well forests in other parts of Ghana.
The proportion of households in the KMA using gas for cooking on the other hand,
increased from 10.8percent in 2000 to 34.3percent in 2010. This means that about
23percent of households who previously used charcoal have now switched to using
gas. The increased consumption must therefore be matched with adequate and
reliable supply of gas in order to avoid shortages and the resultant queuing at gas
stations experienced currently by households.
Charcoal use in the Ejisu Juaben municipality has increased from 18.7percent to
33.3percent over the past 1 decade. The use of Gas for cooking by households has also
increased from 2.9percent to 14.8percen between 2000 and 2010. The increase in
charcoal use is not environmentally sustainable and should therefore be addressed.
1.6.2 Source of Water for Drinking and Domestic Use
As shown in table 11, there are three major uses of drinking water for households.
These are pipe-borne water received either directly inside dwelling or outside
dwelling and public tap or standpipes. Generally, water supply falls short of demand
within the Kumasi metropolis due to the fact that rapid population increase has
overwhelmed the production capacity of the Barekese Dam;-the main source of pipe-
borne water in the metropolis. Due to the problem of unreliable and inadequate
supply of pipe-borne water, many households resort to boreholes and wells as the
main source of drinking water.

14
About 1.1percent (7,805 households) and 0.57percent (2,937 households) of the total
number of households within the GKSR and KMA respectively, do not have access to
safe drinking water. These households rely on unprotected sources such as
unprotected wells, Rivers, streams and ponds as their source of drinking water.
Within the KMA, the proportion of households drinking from unprotected sources
has reduced from 2.3percent to 0.42 percent since 2000. About 386 households,
representing 4percent of all households living in the rural areas of the GKSR do not
have access to protected source of water. In order to curtail the spread of water-borne
and water-related diseases, these households should be provided with safe drinking
water.
Table 11: Main source of drinking water for household
drinking water for household PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS
GKSR
(Urban
and
Rural)
GKSR
(Urban
only)
GKSR
RURAL GKSR
URBAN
EXCLUDING
KMA
KMA
Pipe-borne inside dwelling 33.4 39 5.4 8.7 42.3
Pipe-borne outside dwelling 22.1 24 13.1 15.2 24.8
Public tap/Standpipe 8.5 8.2 10.1 10.5 7.9
Bore-hole/Pump/Tube well 21.2 14.7 54.1 37.3 12.1
Protected well 8.1 7.7 10.3 21.2 6.3
Rain water 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1
Protected spring 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4
Bottled water 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.4
Sachet water 4.5 4.9 2.4 5.5 4.8
Tanker supply/Vendor provided 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.2
Unprotected well 0.4 0.3 0.9 0.4 0.1
Unprotected spring 0.1 0.02 0.1 0.0 0.02
River/Stream 0.6 0.1 2.8 0.3 0.1
Dugout/Pond/Lake/Dam/Canal 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1
Other 0.1 0.1 0. 0.0 0.1
Total 100.0% 100.00% 100.0% 100.0% 100.00%
Households’ access to piped water in the Ejisu Juaben municipality has increased from
6.9percent in 2000 to 24.2percent in 2010. This increase can be attributed to the
provision of Small Town Water System in some communities within the municipality.
The Juaben Small Town Water System is a case in point. Most of the urban areas in the
municipality however, do not receive pipe-water supply from the Ghana Water
Company Limited as their distribution lines do not extend to these areas. In terms of
the proportion of households drinking water from unprotected sources in the Ejisu
Juaben Municipality, there has been a reduction from 22.6percent in 2000 to 4percent
in 2010. This is explained by the increasing number of bore-holes both private and
public in the urban and rural communities of the municipality.

15
Households’ sources of drinking water do not differ from the sources from where they
obtain water for other domestic uses including bathing, cooking and washing. Similar
to the problems associated with sources of drinking water, some 12,501 (1.8percent)
and 5,823 (1.1percent) of households do not have access to protected and safe sources
of water for domestic use within the GKSR and KMA respectively. The other source
of water for domestic use are summarised in table 11 below.
Table 11: Main source of water for other domestic use of household
water for other domestic use PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS
GKSR
(Urban
and
Rural)
GKSR
(Urban
only)
GKSR
RURAL
GKSR
URBAN
EXCLUDING
KMA
KMA
Pipe-borne inside dwelling 34. 40.1 5.5 9.3 43.4
Pipe-borne outside dwelling 21.4 23.1 12.9 14.6 24.1
Public tap/Standpipe 8.5 8.1 10.1 10.5 7.9
Bore-hole/Pump/Tube well 22.9 16.7 54.3 39.4 14.2
Protected well 10.3 10.1 11.3 23.9 8.6
Rain water 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.1
Protected spring 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3
Tanker supply/Vendor provided 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.3
Unprotected well 0.6 0.6 1.0 0.8 0.6
Unprotected spring 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
River/Stream 0.8 0.3 3.2 0.5 0.3
Dugout/Pond/Lake/Dam/Canal 0.2 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.1
Other 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.03 0.1
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0 100.00 100.0%
1.6.3 Methods of Solid and Liquid Waste Disposal
 Toilet facilities
Three main types of toilet facilities are used by households namely; public toilet, water
closets and pit latrine as shown in table 12. Whereas 33.7percent of households use
WC in the GKSR, 40percent of them use same in the KMA. The proportion of
households using WC facilities in the KMA has increased by about 12.3percent since
the 2000 census. Households using the WC in the rural areas of the GKSR are rather
low at 10.7 percent.
Apart from the WC, a larger proportion of households access public toilet facilities.
Within the KMA, the proportion of households who do not have toilet in their homes
and are therefore using public toilet facilities has increased by 2percent from
36.8percent to 38.8percent over the past ten years. The number of households using
public toilets is relatively high in the rural areas where some 45.2percent of residents

16
access public toilets. Many of these households live in traditional compound houses
where the high residential densities do not commensurate the number of toilet
facilities available inside the houses. Within the GKSR, some 35percent of households
(i.e. 241, 367 households) share toilet facilities located either inside or outside the
immediate vicinity of the dwelling. Within the KMA, the proportion of households
sharing toilet facilities is 37percent (241,367 households).
Table 12: Types of Toilet facilities used by Households
Type of Facilities Used PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS
GKSR
(Urban
and
Rural)
GKSR
(Urban
only)
GKSR
RURAL
GKSR
URBAN
EXCLUDING
KMA
KMA
No facilities (bush/beach/field) 3.7 2.8 8.7 4.8 2.5
W.C. 33.7 38.3 10.7 21.9 40.1
Pit latrine 14.0 12.1 23.6 24.8 10.7
KVIP 8.2 7.5 11.3 11.6 7.1
Bucket/Pan 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3
Public toilet (WCKVIPPitPan etc) 39.7 38.6 45.2 36.5 39
Other 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4
Total
100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
100.0
%
Moreover, some 2.5percent of households defecate openly in the bush or open fields
in the KMA. The proportion of households who practice open defecation has reduced
only marginally from 2.9percent in 2000. The practice of open defecation is common
in the rural areas where about 8.7percent of residents have no toilet facilities in their
homes and also lack access to public facilities. This practice of open defecation creates
poor environmental conditions which affects the health and overall well-being of
residents. In all, about 4percent and 2.8percent of households in the GKSR and KMA
respectively, do not dispose of their faecal waste in a manner that can be considered
as hygienic and environmentally safe. Besides open defecation, some of these
households use buckets and pans to collect faecal waste before it is disposed.
The use of WC by households in the Ejisu Juaben Municipality increased from
3.5percent in 2000 to 12.2percent in 2010 (8.7percent increase). This can be explained
by the fact that many new homes have WCs instead of pit latrines and other types of
toilet facilities. Besides, some of the urban settlements within the municipality such as
Ejisu now have WC public toilet facilities. Moreover, the number of households using
public KVIP has increased from 5.5percent to 10.4percent over the past ten years. This
means that the number of houses without toilet facilities have increased in the
municipality. Some 49percent of households in the municipality, most of whom live
in traditional compound houses share toilet facilities. The proportion of households

17
who neither have toilet facilities in their homes nor use public toilet facilities and
therefore resort to open defecation have increased from by 0.7percent from 5.7percent
to 6.4percent over the past ten years. Generally, situation of faecal waste disposal in
the Ejisu Juaben municipality has deteriorated over the past ten years.
 Domestic Solid Waste Disposal
Many households disposed of waste generated domestically at public dump sites as
shown in table 13. Within the GKSR and the KMA, about 75percent of households
dispose of domestic waste at public dump sites either in skip-bins provided or on the
open surface. Within the Kumasi metropolis, the proportion of households using
public dump sites decreased from 81.2percent in 2000 to 75.7percent in 2010. The
proportion of households within the KMA whose domestic wastes are collected (i.e.
house-to-house collection) on the other hand has increased by 14percent from
2.2percent in 2000 to 16.3percent in 2010. Under the house-to-house collection system,
households hire the services of waste management companies to collect their domestic
waste either on daily or weekly basis.
Table 13: Method of Domestic Solid Waste Disposal
Solid waste Disposal
Method
GKSR
(Urban and
Rural)
GKSR
(Urban
only)
GKSR
RURAL GKSR
URBAN
EXCLUDING
KMA
KMA
Collected 13.2 15.3 6.2 2.9 16.3
Burned by household 5.4 4.8 10.6 8.7 4.1
Public dump
(container) 47.5 55.7 22.6 6.2 59.4
Public dump (open
space) 28.4 19.8 51.7 71.7 16.3
Dumped
indiscriminately 2.7 2.0 3.3 5.8 1.9
Buried by household 2.2 1.8 5.0 4.2 1.5
Other 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
The 2000 census report indicated that about 10.1percent of households in the Kumasi
disposed of solid waste indiscriminately often in buses and unprotected public open
spaces. The proportion of households engaged in indiscriminate dumping of garbage
has however reduced to 1.9percent over the past ten years. This must however be
curtailed in order to avert the environmental health effects such practices have on the
urban populace. A major problem of waste management in the metropolis is that,
wastes in dumped without sorting. This makes it impossible for some components to
be recycled for reuse. Incinerators and recycling plants are also non-existent to
effectively manage waste generated from all sources.

18
The practice of disposing refuse at public dump sites in the Ejisu Juaben municipality
increased from 81.6percent in 2000 to 82.1percent in 2010 among households. The
proportion of households using the house-to-house waste collection method also
increased marginally from 0.3percent in 2000 to 1.3 percent over the same period.
Indiscriminate disposal of refuse in the open and bushes has however reduced among
households from 13.7percent to 4.3percent. Generally, solid waste management in the
municipality needs to improvement for improved environmental quality and public
health.
 Domestic Liquid Waste Disposal
About 4percent and 5percent of households in the GKSR and the KMA are connected
to sewerage systems for the disposal of domestic liquid waste as shown in table 14.
The only known sewerage system in the KMA is a simplified system in the areas of
Ahinsan, Chirapatre and Asafo. These sewerage systems are however, very old
needing repairs or obsolete. Over the past ten years, the proportion of households
connected to this simplified sewerage system in the Kumasi metropolis has decreased
from 8.8percent to 5percent.
Table 14: Method of Liquid Solid Waste Disposal
LIQUID WASTE DISPOSAL METHOD PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS
GKSR
(Urban and
Rural)
GKSR
(Urba
n
only)
GKSR
RURAL
GKSR
URBAN
EXCLU
DING
KMA
KMA
Through the sewerage system 4.3 4.8 1.6 2.9 5.0
Through drainage system into a gutter 28.8 33.5 4.8 11.2 35.9
Through drainage into a pit (soak away) 3.4 3.4 3.1 3.8 3.4
Thrown onto the street/outside 14.9 9.9 40.1 31.7 7.5
Thrown into gutter 28.2 31.7 10.8 17.5 33.2
Thrown onto compound 20.1 16.3 39.2 32.6 14.6
Other 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
From the table (14) summary on liquid waste disposal methods, it can be inferred that
about 63.6percent (433,330), 58.2 percent (331,231) and 55.6 percent (285,086) of
households in the GKSR, Urban-GKSR and the KMA respectively, do not dispose of
domestic liquid waste properly. In the rural areas, as high as 90.4percent of
households’ liquid waste are not properly disposed. These households dispose off
liquid waste in the open within the vicinity of the dwelling and streets as well into
gutters. This poses serious implications for environmental health condition and
general well-being of residents in these areas. A properly designed central sewerage

19
system should be constructed in order to ensure that domestic liquid waste is disposed
without any health effects.
Only 2.3percent of households in the Ejisu Juaben municipality dispose liquid waste
through sewerage system. A significant proportion of households (98.7 percent)
dispose liquid waste in the open within the immediate vicinity of the dwelling, on
streets as well into gutters in 2000. Currently this practice has decreased but only
marginally to 88.6percent of households in the municipality. Only about 4percent of
households in the municipality use catch-pits/soak-ways to collect liquid waste. Thus
in general, environmental sanitation situation in the municipality as far as waste
disposal is concerned needs serious attention and intervention to avert harmful effects
on public health.
1.6.4 Other Ancillary Housing Facilities
Besides water and sanitation facilities, bathing and cooking facilities are supporting
housing facilities considered essential for decent living. As shown in table 15, about
49.9percent, 51.64percent and 43.2percent of households in the GKSR, the KMA and
the Ejisu Juaben municipality respectively, use shared-bathrooms located inside their
homes. In the Kumasi metropolis, this proportion of households decreased but
marginally by 1.7percent from 53.3percent in 2000. A good many of these households
live in traditional compound houses within the city core where the mismatch between
resident population and ancillary facilities available results in households sharing
essential facilities.
Only about 25percent of households have their own bathrooms for exclusive use;
many of these can be found in newly built detached and semi-detached houses in the
peripheral areas of the city of Kumasi. Some 4.3 percent (1546) 3.5percent (17,686) and
7.2percent (2,383) of households in the GKSR, the KMA and the Ejisu Juaben
Municipality respectively, do not have places to take their bath. Consequently, they
do so in the open space around their house and inside water bodies. The privacy issues
aside, bathing inside water bodies can spread many water-borne and water-related
diseases.
Table 15: Bathing facilities
Bathing facilities PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS
GKSR
(Urban and
Rural)
GKSR
(Urban only)
GKSR
RURAL GKSR
Urban
KMA

20
excluding
KMA
Own bathroom for exclusive use 24.6 25.2 21.6 24.2 25.34
Shared separate bathroom in the
same house 49.9
51.4
42.3 49.1 51.64
Private open cubicle 3.8 3.1 7.7 5.0 2.86
Shared open cubicle 14.0 13.4 17.1 15.0 13.23
Public bath house 2.1 2.4 0.5 1.2 2.50
Bathroom in another house 1.2 1.0 2.6 1.0 0.98
Open space around house 4.1 3.4 7.8 4.6 3.25
River/Pond/Lake/Dam 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.03
Other 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.16
Total
100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.00%
Table 16: Cooking Space Used By Household
COOKING SPACE PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS
GKSR
(Urban and
Rural)
GKSR
(Urban
only)
GKSR
RURAL
GKSR
URBAN
EXCLUDING
KMA
KMA
No cooking space 10.8 11.4 7.9 8.5 11.7
Separate room for exclusive
use of household 24.2 23.8 25.9 25.1 23.7
Separate room shared with
other household(s) 14.5 13.8 17.9 13.9 13.8
Enclosure without roof 0.8 0.6 1.8 0.7 0.6
Structure with roof but
without walls 1.8 0.9 6.1 1.9 0.8
Bedroom/Hall/Living
room) 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.5
Verandah 33.9 36.1 23.0 35.3 36.2
Open space in compound 13.2 12.6 16.6 13.9 12.4
Other 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.3
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
The types of cooking space/kitchen available to households are summarised in table
16 below. About 33.9percent and 36.2percent of households living in the GKSR and
the KMA respectively do not have functional kitchens inside the houses they occupy.
Instead these households have turned their verandas (small space left at the entrance
to rooms) as kitchen. Only 23.7percent of households in the Kumasi metropolis have

21
separate room for exclusive use as kitchen. About 13.8percent of households, mostly
occupying compound houses use Separate room shared with other household(s).

22
SECTION 2: PHYSICAL CONDITIONS OF HOUSING IN
THE KUMASI METROPOLIS
2.1 Introduction
This section focuses on the physical characteristics of housing in the Kumasi
metropolis. It identifies and classifies housing in the metropolis into broad, contiguous
areas based on prevailing attributes. These attributes include house types, residential
densities, supporting facilities and services and the general challenges faced by
residents in the respective housing areas within the metropolis.
2.2 Area Classifications and Characteristics
The initial attempt to classify housing in Kumasi into distinctive sectors was
undertaken by Graham Tipple in 19844. However, much has changed and many new
housing developments have occurred over the past three decades. This report in
essence, proposes seven broad-sector-classifications taking into account the current
situation and drawing on Tipple’s Initial work which proposed four sectors. The
seven main identifiable sectors of housing in the Kumasi metropolis are discussed in
the sections that follow.
I. High Cost, Low Density Residential Areas
Areas within the metropolis that fall into this broad classification include Nhyiaeso,
Ahodwo, Asokwa, Ridge, TUC, West Ayigya etc. These areas are dominated by
detached and semi-detached units as well as flats. Residential densities are low with
relatively larger plot sizes. Housing densities range between 1 and 3 house per hectare.
Residential population density in these areas is about 50 persons per hectare.
Residential neighbourhoods within this sector are well planned with well laid-out
streets. Houses in these areas are structurally fit as a result of routine maintenance
practices. Given the high income of residents, basic residential supporting facilities
are available inside dwelling units; surface conditions of roads are generally good in
these residential areas. House-to-house collection of domestic waste by private
companies is common in these high class residential areas.
II. Middle Class, Medium Density Areas
Locational attributes in these areas are similar to the high cost areas. The dominant
housing typology are detached, semi-detached and flats. Residential and population
densities are however medium; average plot sizes are also smaller, compared to those
4
Information on Tiplple’s initial classification can be found at:
http://www.kma.ghanadistricts.gov.gh/?arrow=atd&_=6&sa=5490

23
in the high class residential areas. Physically, houses in these areas look good and
structurally fit. Areas exhibiting these characteristic include Pankrono, Boukrom,
Dote, Abrepo, Pataase, Santaase, Bomso, Chripatre etc. middle income, public sector
workers dominate in these areas. Basic ancillary facilities such as toilet and baths are
available within individual dwelling units. Road conditions are fairly good; roads in
some of these areas however, need spot improvements. Many households dump
refuse in skip bins provided by the KMA whilst others rely on the house-to-house-
collection system. Open dumping of refuse on designated dump sites is also practiced
by some households.
III. Tenement Housing Sector.
Tenement housing dominates in the core areas of the metropolis. These areas include
Asafo, Amakom, Bantama, Dichemso, Fanti New Town etc. Residential densities are
high with about 5 to 7 houses per hectare. Compound houses constitute a greater
proportion of dwelling types in the tenement housing sector. Given the size of
compound houses, the number of rooms available (between 10 and 15) and the
number of people they accommodate, population density in these areas is high with
about 200 persons per hectare. High rise buildings of about 2 storeys on the average
are found in this sector. These areas accommodate households of different socio-
economic means and status.
Basic supporting facilities may be available in some of the houses; they are however
almost always inadequate given the number of persons occupying tenement houses.
Consequently, many households rely on public toilet facilities. Some households in
the Bantama area use public bathing facilities. Households dump refuse in skip bins
provided the KMA and on areas designated for open dumping. Sanitation situation in
these areas fairly good; however, public skip bins are not regularly lifted whilst dump
site remain unkempt and poorly managed. Given their location in the central areas of
the metropolis, many of the roads in these areas are tarred and of good condition.
Many of these areas are also signs of redevelopment with residential population facing
potential threat of eviction given the high demand for commercial space by
businesses.
IV. Indigenous Housing Sector
Morphologically, the city of Kumasi emerged and expanded outwards from the core
areas including Ashtown, Manhyia, Krofrom, Mborom and Adum. These areas
therefore constitute the oldest parts of the KMA. They share many common
characteristics with the tenement housing sector. Dominated by traditional
compound houses, residential and population densities are highest in these areas.

24
Many households occupy rooms within compound houses either as renters or free-
occupiers; occupants who live rent-free are having family relations in such dwelling
units.
In terms of basic supporting facilities, there is a huge deficit of households over
facilities such as toilet, water and bath. Rooms are overcrowded whilst the pressure to
accommodate the ever increasing urban population results in building extensions and
alterations. In some of the houses in these areas, spaces formerly used as kitchens,
bathrooms and toilet are continuously being converted into habitable rooms. In these
areas housing extensions could be seen as a way of balancing need with supply, and
a major cause of the development of conditions of squalor. A disproportionately larger
proportion of residents rely on public toilet facilities. Household waste is either
dumped in skip bins or openly in designated public dump sites. Domestic waste often
is not collected regularly for final disposal leading to poor environmental conditions
and threats to public health.
Although basic supporting facilities either non-existent or inadequate in these areas,
surface condition of roads is good. All arterial and access roads within these areas are
tarred. The indigenous housing sector exhibits sites of dereliction and structural
deficiencies. A good many of houses in these areas are showing signs of needing
replacement/redevelopment. An upgrading programme is considered necessary to
improving locational attributes and living conditions of residents in the indigenous
residential sectors of the Kumasi metropolis.
V. Government Built Sector
The involvement of government in housing supply is rather limited in the Kumasi
metropolis. There are few government estates in areas such as North &South Suntreso,
Kwadaso, Pankrono Estate, Boukrom Estate etc. Residential densities are medium
with about 3 to 4 houses and about 100 persons per hectare. The predominant housing
types in these government-built estates are semi-detached and flats. These areas
accommodate middle income public sector workers in the metropolis. Basic
supporting facilities such as toilet, water and baths are available in these areas. Road
conditions range from fair to good. In addition to the use of skip bins for household
refuse collection, the house-to-house collection system is also practiced in these
estates.
VI. Areas of substandard housing showing slum conditions
These are mainly migrant communities located within the central areas of the
metropolis. Housing conditions are poor and sub-standard; with many residents
living in make-shift dwelling units such as wooden shops, kiosks and containers.

25
Environmental sanitation facilities are lacking in these areas. Housing densities are
unacceptably high. They are characterized by overcrowding, dampness, inadequate
drainage and insufficient ventilation as a result of extension of existing sub-standard
dwellings Open defecation and indiscriminate dumping of refuse is a common
practice in these areas. The few available public facilities are poorly maintained and
unkempt. Corollary, these areas are gradually developing into city centre slums. The
Dakodwom and Susaunso area (along the Susuanso River) are occupied by squatters
who do not have legal titles to the land.
These areas continue to expand and sustain because the lack of affordable housing
units coupled with low incomes of poor urban migrants leaves them no option but to
live in these areas. The multiplication of areas exhibiting slum conditions in the
metropolis can therefore be seen as a manifestation of the coping strategies of poor
urban migrants. An upgrading programme should be designed and implemented in
order to improve upon living conditions in these areas. Areas exhibiting slum
conditions in the KMA include;
 Asawase
 Accra-Town (Oforikrom)
 Ayigya Zongo
 Moshie Zongo,
 Sawaba,
 Aboabo No.1 & 2
 Dakodwom
 Fanti New Town
 Sepetimpon
 Anloga
VII. Newly Developing Residential Areas in Peri-urban areas
Kumasi’s peri-urban interface has over the past 25 years experienced rapid
expansion. Extending some 20 to 40km radius from the city center, the peri-urban
zone of Kumasi has been expanding as a result of the acquisition of land purposely
for housing development. Land is relatively cheaper in these areas which were
formerly occupied by agricultural land use. As a result, there has been the
development of luxurious sub-urban housing in these areas. These peri-urban
communities have low and medium residential densities, with plot sizes ranging
between 742m2 (80×100 feet) and 1114m2 (100 by 120 feet). The newly developing
residential areas in the urban periphery are dominated by semi-detached and
detached houses. Traditional compound houses however, exist within the core areas
of these peri-urban settlements.

26
Many of these peri-urban areas are unplanned and therefore not well serviced with
basic facilities and services. Road conditions are poor and access to water and
sanitation facilities and services is also poor in many areas. Peri-urban areas often fall
within separate administrative jurisdictions with the resultant institutional
fragmentation weakening municipal governance and planning controls. Their rapid
development has also out-paced the capacities of the respective local authorities to
provide facilities and services. Residents obtain water from mechanized boreholes
most of which are found in the private homes of residents. The increasing number of
bore-holes in these areas threatens underground water supply in the future.
Although these peri-urban residential areas are rapidly being developed, the rate at
which residents are moving in to occupy these areas is rather slow. The following
might explain this phenomenon;
 Due to the availability of land at relatively cheaper prices, many private
individuals tend to acquire land in these areas on speculative basis. Thus land
is acquired cheaply with the view of selling them out when their values
appreciate over time. This results in patches of vacant land within newly built-
up areas (leap-frog development) and sprawl.
 Besides land speculation, housing development in many areas in Ghana,
including the peri-urban areas of rapidly urbanizing cities occur on incremental
basis. Under this practice, houses take several years to complete depending on
the availability of financial resources of private developers. Since institutional
loans for housing development is both uncommon and inaccessible, many
households depend on personal savings to construct their houses. Given the
competing claims of various necessary expenditure items on households’
income, it actually takes several years for savings to accumulate and channelled
into housing development. The larger number of uncompleted and
unoccupied houses in the urban periphery lends credence to incremental
housing development in these areas
 Finally, a good many of houses under construction in these peri-urban areas
have their owners living abroad. Thus through remittances, these private
developers acquire land for housing development either by relatives or
building contractors in Ghana. Many of these houses, though completed might
not be occupied for some years until owners finally decide to settle down in
Ghana. In most cases, caretakers occupy such houses.

27
SECTION 3. STUDY ON THE ROLE OF PRIVATE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS
IN THE HOUSING MARKET OF THE GREATER KUMASI SUB-REGION
3.1. Introduction
Balancing the growing mismatch between housing need and supply in Ghana requires
significant investment by the public and private sectors in the country’s housing market. Over
the years, the involvement of the state in housing provision has declined; the supply of housing
in the major cities of Ghana has been through incremental housing development by individual
households. Besides own-building, the period since 1988, following the formation of the
Ghana Real Estate Developers Association has seen increasing participation of private real
estate developers in the housing market (Bank of Ghana, 2007).
The operations of private real estate developers however appears to be limited to the city of
Accra where the housing market seems more developed compared to other cities such as
Kumasi. This study, undertaken for the JICA Study Team as part of the Comprehensive Urban
Development Plan for Greater Kumasi Project in essence, sought to examine the role of private
real estate developers within the Greater Kumasi Sub-Region (GKSR). The GKSR covers
about 2,850km2 and encompasses the Kumasi Metropolitan Area (KMA) and seven
surrounding districts namely; Bosomtwe, Atwima Kwanwoma, Atwima Nwabiagya, Afigya
Kwabre, Kwabre East, Asokore Mampong and Ejisu Juaben.
The key objective of the study was to Identify and consult private real estate developers and
housing finance institutions to ascertain the following:
i. The types of development undertaken;
ii. Market target groups;
iii. The financing mechanisms available to home buyers and the flexibility or otherwise of
accessing them;
iv. Preferred locations within the KMA where developers have already acquired land or
might do so for housing development in the future;
v. Forecasts information on the housing market in Kumasi and how these institutions
plan to get involved; and
vi. Operational Challenges and prospects

28
3.2 Approach and Methodology
The study involved the identification of major private real estate companies currently
operating in the GKSR. The identification exercise involved random online business directory
search to obtain information about existing and registered companies in Kumasi. Company
websites, where available, were visited to obtain background information about their
operations. The snowball technique was employed to identify and contact other companies
without any active contact address. The list of companies identified by this approach is
provided in Table 1 below
Table 1: Private Real Estate Companies Identified
No. Company Location
1 Regalon Estates Stadium
2 Property Masters Company Ltd Asokwa
3 Goldgate Estates Santasi
4 Angel Estates and construction Ltd Danyame (Sanatasi road)
5 Gideomania Abrepo junction
6 Saviour Estates Bantama
7 Apronti real Estate Adum
Besides these developers in Kumasi, information was obtained from the following major
developers and players in the real estate industry in Accra;
 Devtraco Limited
 Ghana Home Loans
 Regimanuel Gray Group
A semi-structured interview guide was designed to gather a mix of qualitative and
quantitative datarelevant for the study from these companies. This was done through personal
and phone interviews. Secondary data from publications and company websites were also
gathered to complement the primary data.
3.3 Results and Discussions
3.3.1 Property Types and Target market
Real estate companies interviewed specialize mainly in the development and sale of residential
properties. Out of the seven companies interviewed in the GKSR, only two of them were

29
involved in the construction of residential estates for sale. These developers also build on the
request of their individual clients at specific locations outside their main residential estates.
The remaining companies do not build and have no properties of their own. Rather, they
operate as estate agents and brokers who are consulted as middlemen by people with houses
to sell and those looking for houses to rent or buy. These companies are also engaged in the
sale of parcels of land either serviced or un-serviced with basic facilities to individual property
developers.
Generally, the scale of estates owned by these companies is of relatively smaller size in terms
of the stock of residential units supplied (See Table 2). In all, a total of 127 residential units
had been supplied by operators who develop and manage their own estates. The Angel Estate
and Construction Limited had the largest number of 97 units, representing 76percent of the
total number of units supplied by the developers interviewed. The Goldgate Estates and
Gideomania had 18 and 12 units of residential units respectively, all located in the peripheral
areas of the Kumasi metropolis. None of the developers interviewed indicated that they had
residential estates in the Ejisu Juaben Municipality, Bosomtwe and Asokore Mampong
districts.
Table 2
No Company No. of Residential
Properties
Location of Properties
1 Goldgate Estates 18 Kotwi
2 Angel Estates and construction Ltd 97 Nkoransah. Kotwi and nearby towns
3 Gideomania 12 Santasi,
Buokrom,Anyinam,TUC/Ahodwo,
Akatamanso, Kromoase
Source: Field Survey, February 2013
Private property companies who are involved in housing construction specialize in the
development of 1 and 2 bedroom detached and semi-detached houses. House prices are
determined by the location, the cost of land and building materials, available amenities and
the number of rooms available. Table 2 provides a summary of average price of houses provided
by these companies according to typology and the number of bedrooms.
Table 3: House Prices
Housing Types House Prices (GH¢)
One bed room house 15,000 to 20,000

30
Two bed room house 20,000 to 25,000
Three bedroom house 30,000 to 70,000
Four bedroom house 150.000
Source: Field Survey, February 2013
On the average, the price of a single bed-room house, ranges between GH¢15,000 and GH¢20,
000 whiles that of a two-bedroom houses ranges between GH¢20,000 and GH¢25,000. Given
their relatively smaller size and portfolios, very few property developers in the GKSR such as
Angel Estates and Construction Ltd, Property Masters and Great Kingdom Company supply
houses of between 3 and 5 bedrooms. These houses are on the higher end of the market with
property prices ranging between GH¢30,000 to GH¢70,000 for 3 bedroom houses and over
GH¢150.000 for 4 bedroom semi-detached houses. Most of these properties are located at the
peripheral areas of the city of Kumasi in areas such as Santasi, Buokrom, Anyinam, and
TUC/Ahodwo. Other peripheral areas where these private estate companies have properties
within the GKSR include kromoase, Nkoransah and Kotwi.
Comparatively, the prices of houses supplied by the major companies operating in Accra are
very high with house prices often quoted in foreign currency. For example, at Devtraco, a 2-
bedroom single-storey detached house expandable to 3-bedroom costs between $44,000 and
$66,825, at an annual value appreciation rate of 21.5 percent. Similarly, a Regimanuel Gray
Group property costs between $116,200 and $180, 000 for a 2-bedroom house and around
$98,000 for a 2-bedroom house located at prime areas such as Kwabenya, Kantamanto and
East Airport areas.
According to the most recent Ghana Living Standards Survey, average annual household
income in Ghana is GH¢1,217.00 (GSS, 2008). Given the relatively lower income levels and the
average price of houses supplied by these real estate companies, it can be concluded that these
companies target persons within the medium and high income groups. The survey identified
that these companies also target mostly, working households in the formal sector who are
engaged in professional, managerial and technical related employments. Thus, the larger mass
of the working population, about 75 percent of whom are within the private informal economy
are left out of the target market of these private real estate companies. The housing
affordability needs of these low-income earners are therefore not met by these real estate
companies.

31
3.3.2 House Ownership and Tenure Arrangements
The huge potential in the rental sector of the housing market in the GKSR as evidenced by
rapid population increase and the ever widening hiatus between housing need and supply
remains largely unexplored by most of the estate developers operating in the sub-region. Out
of the seven real estate developers interviewed, only three of them indicated that majority of
their customers are renters. Developers such as Regalon Estates, Property Masters Company
and Goldgate Estates for example, have between 50 to 90 percent of their residential
properties in the rental sector. According to these companies, the larger proportion of their
customers who are in the middle income bracket cannot afford to buy homes and therefore
prefer to live in rented accommodations. A respondent of the Goldgate Estates Company
indicated that;
“… about 99% of our customers are renters, we don’t sell but only rent. The company
started operations just about a year ago and we think selling is not as profitable as
renting. We also target the middle income groups and renting our houses is much more
affordable to our clients most of whom, given their incomes, cannot buy a property
outright”.
The companies with much larger portfolios and share of the real estate market within Kumasi
and its surrounding areas such as Angel Estates and Gideomania Estates and Construction Ltd
supply residential units for only home-buyers. These companies therefore target the higher
end of the housing market; their residential properties are patronised by high income earners
mostly in the professional, technical and administrative related works as well as Ghanaians
living and working abroad. In the case of Gideomania Estates and Construction Ltd, some of
their residential properties are leased to customers over a period of between 20 and 30 years
after which the property reverts back to the estate developers.
3.3.2 Home finance Mechanisms
One of the major issues in the housing market for both property developers and
home=buyers/renters is housing finance. The study found out that the sources of finance to
potential home-buyers and renters generally is very limited. As is the case with the over 25
percent individuals who construct their own houses on incremental basis in the GKSR,
majority of the clients of these private real estate companies (both owner-occupiers and
renters) finance their homes through accumulated personal savings supplemented by bank
loans.

32
According to developers who rent out houses, rents could be arranged to be paid by their
clients in instalment on monthly basis. Often however, an advance payment covering a
minimum of one year lump sum of the accumulated monthly rent is required by renters. In
such instances, clients who do not have money readily available fall on bank loans. The
property developers themselves are not involved in the loan acquisition process as most of
them do not have any such formal arrangements with specific financial institutions. Instead,
these loans are often obtained from the respective banks of the individual customers at varying
interest rates. Being a salaried worker with a reliable source (s) of income is a key prerequisite
to accessing bank loans for any purposes including home-buying in Ghana. This practice
therefore excludes the larger mass of the population in need of decent accommodation, but
who because of their engagement in small scale businesses and petty trading in the informal
economy, do not have sustainable sources of income.
The study gathered that in the case of DEVTRACO, a major property developer whose
operations limited to Accra for example requires that prospective home-buyers who self-
finance their purchases make an initial deposit of 25 percent of the house price. After a period
of 90 days of making the initial deposit, the buyer is required to make another 25 percent
payment of the remaining cost of the property. The remaining 50 percent are paid in two equal
instalments at the roof level and on completion of construction of the house. In such a housing
market, low income earners stand very little chance to owning a home in their lifetime. The
jobless are automatically priced out of the market. Corollary, most of these urban residents
find accommodation in sub-standard makeshift dwelling units. About 3percent of all
dwellings (i.e 21,594 units) occupied by households in the GKSR are make–shift structures
such as kiosk/container, tents and shops which are not considered decent accommodations.
Within the KMA, about 3.8percent of dwellings (19,623 units) are sub-standard improvised
houses (Ghana Statistical Services, 2010).
Generally, the use of mortgage to finance homes in Ghana is lowdue to the undeveloped nature
of the housing market including the financial markets required to support the industry (Bank
of Ghana, 2007). Access to Mortgage financing is limited only to high income earners due the
high interest rates charged. According to the 2010 population and housing census released by
the Ghana Statistical Services, within the GKSR (excluding the KMA) and the KMA, only 1.2
percent and 1.6percent of houses were purchased or being purchased with mortgages. The
larger mass of the population cannot access mortgages since their low incomes imply high
mortgage payment-to-income-ratio.

33
The Homes Finance Company (HFC) and the Ghana Homes Loans are the main institutions
that provide mortgage finance products to home-buyers in Ghana. HFC currently offers five
mortgage products: Home Purchase, Home Equity, Home Improvement and Home
Completion. These are operated through two major mortgage instruments namely; Indexed
Mortgages and Graduated Payments. Under the former, mortgage loans can be indexed to
inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) as a hedge against loss of value whiles
the latter allows the borrower to pay lower to pay lower initial monthly loan instalments but
requires annual increment in instalment payments until the loan is fully amortized. Currently,
HFC no longer offers inflation-indexed mortgages because the company no longer has access
to indexed funds to match such mortgages. In order to access and HFC mortgage, prospective
mortgagors are required to save 20% down-payment of the total cost of the house they wish
to buy. Thus in order to obtain an HFC mortgage to buy a two-bedroom home that costs
GH¢25,000, a down-payment of GH¢5,000. According to the real estate developers
interviewed, only their clientele in the high income category can afford this down-payment.
According to the HFC, the high value of down payment and annual rate of interest is due to
the lack of government subsidies for either real estate developers or homeowners.
The Ghana Home Loans (GHL) like the HFC provides mortgage finance under the supervision
of the Bank of Ghana as a non-traditional financial institution. The main products offered to
potential home-buyers are Home Purchase Loans, Buy-to-Let schemes, Home Completion
Loans and Home Construction Loans. In order to access a Home Purchase Loan, Applicants
are required to contribute a deposit of at least 20% of the property value towards the purchase.
Thus a 2-bedroom single storey Devtraco property that costs $66,825 requires that prospective
mortgagers pay about $ 13,365 in addition to demonstrating ability to pay the remaining
amount in order to qualify for a GHL mortgage. The Home Completion Loan and Home
Construction Loans are a-two part loan which comprises an initial 1 year construction
loan followed by a mortgage loan of up to 20 years. A fixed base rate of 12.5 percent is charged
on these loans.
3.3.3 Land acquisition and preferred locations
A key objective of this study was to identify areas within the GKSR where private real estate
developers have acquired land or would prefer to acquire land for development over the next
20 years. From the study, it became evident that most of these developers have acquired land
at the peripheral areas of the KMA in areas such as Kromoase along the Agric Junction; around

34
Kwadaso; Kotwi in Atwima Kwanwoma District; Nkoransah near Santasi on the main
Kumasi-Cape-Coast road (Angel city) and Ampabame in the …… district.
These peripheral locations are highly preferred by the private real estate developers because
they constitute the fast growing areas in the GKSR. Additionally, respondents indicated that
land values are relatively cheaper in these areas where Greenfield lands are readily available in
large quantities. It is anticipated the rapid expansion of the Kumasi City into its surrounding
peri-urban areas will result in increased demand both land and landed-properties; housing
demand and house prices are projected by these real estate developers to increase at these
peripheral locations of the city.
3.3.5 Operational challenges, Market forecasts and prospects
The increasing cost of land within the central and peripheral areas of the GKSR and the high
cost of building construction materials and labour were the main challenges indicated by the
private real estate developers interviewed. Land prices at prime locations, along major road
networks in Kumasi for example, ranges between $20,000 (GH¢18,400.00) and $40,000
(GH¢36,800.00) (Mahama, 2004). Land banks are also non-existent to provide investors easy
access to land as the basic input for housing development. Moreover, land litigations and
cumbersome acquisition processes resulting from the complex tenure regimes in the GKSR
are major challenges that often stall property development.
Although lands available in the urban periphery are relatively cheaper, most of these areas are
unserviced; almost always, major infrastructure lines are non-existent to enable easy
connection. The provision of basic supporting facilities and services such as roads, water, and
drainage and sanitation infrastructure therefore significantly increases the cost of
development. The high cost of development resulting from land prices and the cost of
infrastructure provision explains the high cost of residential properties supplied by these
private property developers. Besides, the rising cost of building materials particularly cement
and iron roads as a result of uncertain macro-economic climate and high rates of inflation are
significant factors that affects viability and profitability of properties.
Moreover, respondents cited the difficulty in accessing funds and the lack of government
support by way of fiscal policies such as subsidies as another major challenge facing the
industry. Loans often come at very high domestic interest rates whilst the undeveloped nature
of the mortgage market means that clients find it difficult to obtain funds to either buy or rent
the houses these real estate companies supplies.

35
Despite these operational challenges and difficulties, respondents demonstrated optimism as
far as forecasts and prospects of the real estate industry in the GKSR are concerned. As
population continue to increase and housing need increases particularly in the sub-urban
areas, these property developers expect high demand for housing in both the owner-occupier
and rental sub-sectors. Respondents anticipate an increase in the number of developers
currently building in the sub-region as a result in responds to the increasing demand.
Respondents currently operate as estate brokers have plans to develop their own estates in
the next 10 to 20 years. Others indicated the need for collaboration with both public and
private institutions especially persons employed in the informal economy to provide houses
that meet their specific affordability needs.
They however indicated that their ability to respond to this need and demand will depend on
the availability of land at suitable location, investment in basic facilities and services by the
public sector and the provision of subsidies on building construction materials.
3.4. Conclusion
In spite of the rapid increase in population and attendant rise in housing need and demand in
the GKSR, the role of private real estate developers in the housing market is very minimal.
Only a fewproperty developers operating in the sub-region are involved in the construction of
their own residential units whilst others act as estate brokers for individuals and property
developers either in the purchasing or sale of properties. Generally, these property developers
manage small estates of not more than a hundred units. Given the cost of houses supplied by
these developers, only a small segment of households, mainly those in the middle and high
income brackets within the formal sectors of employment can afford to either buy or rent a
house from them. Consequently, the huge potential informal sector, especially for affordable
rental housing in the GKSR as evidenced by rapid population increase and the widening
mismatch between housing need and supply remains largely unexplored by these real estate
developers.
The study gathered that a good many of clients of these private property developers depend
on personal savings and bank loans to purchase or rent houses. Given that the housing market
in the GKSR specifically and Ghana in general is still developing, the use of mortgage finance
is on a very low side among home buyers and renters. Access to Mortgage financing is limited

36
only to high income earners due the high interest rates and the resultant high mortgage-to-
income ratio.
Difficulty in accessing institutional loans; high cost of land, the cost of infrastructure provision
as well as building materials and labour; and the lack of government support are the major
challenges facing private real estate developers in the sub-region. Thus the responsiveness of
the private real estate industry to the increasing need and demand for decent housing in the
GKSR will depend largely on the extent to which these challenges can be minimized if not
completely eliminated. Interventions from the public sector in these key areas are therefore
considered critical to creating the enabling environment for effective operations of the real
estate industry.

37
Bibliography
Acheampong, R. A., & Anokye, P. A. (2013). Understanding Households’ Residential
Location Choice in Kumasi’s Peri-Urban Settlements and the Implications for
Sustainable Urban Growth. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(9), 60-70.
Bank of Ghana (2007),The Housing Market in Ghana. Sector Study reports are prepared by
the Research Department of Bank of Ghana.
Ghana Statistical Service (2005), Population Data Analysis Reports, Socio-economic and
Demographic Trends Analyses Volume 1
Ghana Statistical Service (2008), Ghana Living Standards Survey Report of the
Fifth Round (GLSS 5)
Simon D., McGregor D and Nsiah-Gyabaah K. (2004) “The Changing Urban–rural
Interface of African cities: Definitional Issues and an Application to Kumasi, Ghana.
Environment & Urbanization Vol 16 No 2 October 2004
Appendix 1: Research Instrument (SECTION 3)
Interview Guide for Data Collection on the Role of Private Real Estate Companies in
Housing Development in the Greater-Kumasi Sub-Region
1. Name of Company…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
2. Areas of operation in Ghana……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. If they don’t have estates in Kumasi, why?................................................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. What type of properties do they build/develop?.....................................................................................
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
5. What is their target market: Which category of income groups often patronise their
properties …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
6. What is the estimated costs for the following detached houses
One bed room house………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Two bed-room house………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Three bedroom house………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Four-bedroom house…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Five-bedroom house…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
7. Are they involved in estates development alone or they also build houses at the request of
clients?..............................................................................................................................................................
8. How do their customers finance their homes?.......................................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
9. Are there loans and mortgages available to home buyers? If yes, how accessible are these
schemes?...............................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................................................
10. Which financial institutions are involved in giving out loans/mortgages to home buyers?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

38
11. Do they develop housing schemes purposely to rent out to people who cannot afford to own
homes, if yes, what proportion of their customers are renters?..........................................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….......................................................
12. Preferred locations within the KMA and its adjoining districts where developers have
already acquired land or might do so for housing development in the future……………...................
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
13. What are their forecasts on the housing market in Kumasi and surrounding areas in the next
10 t0 20 years………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
14. How active will their involvement in the market be over this period?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
15. What are their operational challenges?....................................................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
16. What are the potential prospects in the future?.......................................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Appendix 2 : Collated Response of Real Estate Developers
List of companies and their Areas of operation
List of companies Location number of houses Areas of operation
Regalon Estates stadium Check website Check website
Property Masters
Company Ltd
Asokwa We don’t own
properties
Mostly in Kumasi, but now
kormoase is about to start
Goldgate Estates Santasi 18 kotwi
Angel Estates and
construction Ltd
Danyame (Sanatasi
road)
97 Nkoransah. Kotwi and nearby
towns
Gideomania Abrepo junction 12 Santasi,
buokrom,anyinam,TUC/ahodwo,
akatamanso, kromoase
Saviour Estates Bantama 0244241573
Apronti real Estate Adum 0244066517
Include total number of houses for each in Kumasi if available
Target market and house prices
1. Mostly residential buildings and commercial buildings such as offices and stores
2. Individuals-medium income groups
3. One bed room house GHC 15,000_GHC 20,000

39
Two bed-room house GHC 20,000_GHC 25,000
Three bedroom house…GHC 30,000_GHC35,000
4. Yes , We build at the request of clients
1. We don’t build but sell mostly residential buildings and plots
2. Individuals, basically all income groups but middle income groups mostly patronize
our properties
3. One bed room house…
Two bed-room house
Three bedroom house…GHC 70,000
Four-bedroom house… GHC 125,000
Five-bedroom house……
4. Yes we build at clients request
5. Only residential buildings
6. One bedroom house GHC 15,000_GHC 20,000
Two bed-room house GHC 20,000_GHC 25,000
Three bedroom house…GHC 30.000_GHC35, 000
Four-bedroom house
Five-bedroom house
7. Yes we build for clients too
8. Mostly residential buildings and also handle individual projects
9. Mostly middle income targeting; Doctors, bankers, and business men
10. One bedroom house
Two bed-room house GHC 96,000
Three bedroom house GHC 116,000 (we mostly build the three bed rooms)
Four-bedroom house GHC 150.000
Five-bedroom house
11. Yes we build for clients who request, especially big contracts
Home finance mechanisms
1. Personal payment or loan
2. Yes, we recommended if you can’t make full payment you use the mortgage companies
and the scheme is fairly accessible
3. HFC bank and Ghana Home loans
4. Yes and more than 50% of our customers are renters

40
5. Monthly installments through ready cash or cheques
6. We don’t have our own property to properties to sell so we don’t deal with mortgage
companies
7. Not applicable to us
8. Currently we just sell estates and lands, if someone wants to sell his or her property
we do that but we don’t own estates and yes 50% of our customers are renters
9. We only advised them to go for loans if they can’t pay all at once…
10. Ghana Home loans and HFC
11. Yes and 99% of our customers are renters, we don’t sell we only rent, the company is
new it only start operation a years old and we thinking selling is not as profitable as
renting. We target the middle income groups and renting it is much more affordable as
most people cannot buy a property outright
12. Through direct payment or and mortgage loans
13. Yes, there are mortgage loans available, we recommend for those who can’t pay
outright or want to spread their payment. But first you will have to be asalaried worker
or a proper business man to be sure of payment
14. Ghana Home loans, Stanbic and HFC (it more like partnership with these banks)
15. No, we sell all our houses and we don’t rent but services like security, waste are still
managed by the company
Land acquisition and preferred locations
1. Check our website
2. Build our own estate and sell, because currently we rent out and also help people sell
their house (estate brokers)
3. By reducing leasing procedures and encourage people to buy houses and by that
contribute to the housing development in Kumasi
4. We are selling lands at Kromoase,on the Agric Junction road around Kwadaso in
Kumasi – Ashanti Region
5. In the next 10 years, we hope to build our own estate and also to help renovate lots of
houses in Kumasi and beyond. Currently we work mostly as estate brokers.
6. By encouraging our clients to invest in the estates
We also manage people’s properties and sell lands and if someone wants to sell a house
we do sell it for that person. Currently we have 6 property owned by the company and
12 units under construction.
1. Kotwi in Atwima Kwanwoma, District, Ashanti region, we choose the place
a. because, it fast growing
b. available land
c. land values are rising and it attracts people to these areas
d. there are already facilities available , 3 universities, schools etc
e. and it on da Kumasi – Obuasi road
1. Our properties are in Nkoransah on the Santasi road (Angel city), Kotwi and we intend
to develop the nearby areas. It on the Cape Coast Kumasi road, almost at Ahwiaa
Nkwanta. We have two projects on going.

41
Face one has 38 housing units (all completed)
Face two has 59 units (which has started)
All are going to be gated communities all in the Ampabame district. Ashanti region
We choose this location because
 It traffic free zone
 Access to land
 And also as a marketing strategy, we wanted to go off the main Kumasi to lure
people to come in the business because Kumasi is congested.
Operational challenges
a. Financial constraints that interfere cash flow in construction
b. State rent control
c. High rent charges by landlords, it makes our work difficult
d. Financial constraints that interfere cash flow in construction
e. Financial constraints that interfere cash flow in construction
f. Government policies like rent control
g. High prices of goods and services
h. Funds
i. Management of workers, especially the operational stuff (labourer)
j. Management of site
Market forecasts and prospects
1. Housing market will boost the economy since there is still demand for housing
2. To develop an estate and build stable and attractive plus affordable houses to satisfy
our cherished customers
3. In the next 10 years, we hope to build our own estate and also to help renovate lots of
houses in Kumasi and beyond. Currently we work mostly as estate brokers.
4. Many estates organization will come up because of high demand for housing
5. By encouraging our clients to patronize in the estates, if ready by then, because we have
plans of building our own estates
6. We want to collaborate with other institutions to build affordable housing for them to
ease pressure in Kumasi and contribute to hosing development in the area.
7. We will sensitize people to get into the formal housing market
8. And also contribute about 100 housing unit, especially if the gated communities are
done to help in housing development in Kumasi
9. We intend to expand operations to Aburi areas and nearby areas in Ampabame district

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