Accra: The National Homeownership Fund (NHF), in collaboration with government agencies and development partners, is set to host a two-day national conference on Housing Finance. The event aims to explore innovative solutions to address Ghana's housing financing challenges. Scheduled for October 7 and 8, 2026, the conference coincides with the World Habitat Day and will bring together local and international stakeholders to mobilize expertise, financing, and partnerships for affordable housing delivery.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Prosper Hoetu, the Chief Executive Officer of the NHF, stated that the conference will focus on addressing structural barriers that have limited access to decent and affordable housing, especially for low-and middle-income households. The 2024 Ghana Housing Profile estimated the country's housing deficit at approximately 1.8 million units, with more than 30 percent of existing housing stock considered inadequate. Many households continue to live in overcrowded conditions, with insecure tenure and limited access to basic services, including water and sanitation.
Mr. Hoetu highlighted that only five percent of Ghanaians can independently afford a home, with 60 percent requiring some form of government assistance and 35 percent needing social housing. He pointed out that limited access to long-term financing, high interest rates, short loan tenures, and inefficiencies in land administration and housing delivery remain major barriers to homeownership. The mortgage-to-GDP ratio remains below 0.3 percent, while mortgage interest rates often exceed 30 percent, making formal housing finance inaccessible to many low-and middle-income households.
The conference aims to catalyze a fundamental shift in how housing finance is structured, delivered, and sustained in Ghana and across Africa. Mr. Hoetu stated that the event seeks high-level political endorsement for housing finance reforms, generate actionable recommendations, facilitate financing agreements, and develop a roadmap for integrating climate resilience and green building standards into affordable housing finance.
The opening session is expected to bring together key government officials and international partners, while four thematic panel discussions will focus on mortgage financing, construction financing, climate and green housing, and informal and social housing. The discussions will examine ways of reducing mortgage rates, extending loan tenures, developing local currency mortgage products, expanding access for informal sector workers, and attracting long-term capital into the housing market.
The conference will also explore solutions to developers' challenges, including high borrowing costs, limited access to long-term capital, land titling difficulties, and perceived project risks. An exhibition will provide a platform for financial institutions, developers, technology providers, and development partners to showcase innovative housing finance products, green building technologies, and successful affordable housing projects.
Expected outcomes include a communiqu© containing shared commitments, new or revised affordable housing loan products, a technical working group on green affordable housing finance, and a roadmap for operationalizing its homebuyer database and offtake guarantee framework, according to Mr. Hoetu. A follow-up review is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.