HOUSING AND THE 2015 ELECTIONS

any concrete promise on housing the same way he did on fighting corruption, security, power, education, etc, we should not expect any change of attitude in the way our governments have treated housing as a nonimportant item. This is despite the deficit of about sixteen to seventeen million housing units which is manifested in squatter settlements, slums and high rents especially in our major cities.

One is definitely worried why our governments in the third world countries treat housing as a non-important item in the scheme of things. On the individual level, housing is very important to all. After food and clothing, housing is next! When politicians steal money, they invest it in building or buying houses all over the world – in UK, US, Spain, Dubai, South Africa and of late Ghana! Almost all human activities take place under a roof except when we are on the road or on the field playing a game. Why then won’t we treat housing as an important need?

I am therefore appealing to the President-elect and his party, the APC to please reverse this trend by according housing its due importance in the administration. The World Bank and IMF will advise you to leave housing to the private sector and concentrate only on creating the enabling environment for them to supply the housing needs by the society. This is the same theory they have been telling previous governments that has brought us to where we are today. Yes, the private sector should be encouraged to provide housing for the public but experience over the years has shown that the private sector cannot provide housing for the low and middle income. And these are the largest group in the society.

The private sector is in business to make profit and provision of housing for the low income is not a profitable venture. Chief Akomolede is President, International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI), Africa Chapter

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