Life in Ghana: Housing Situation

Housing here in Ghana is very different from most housing in the US. In Ghana the social classes are very different and it shows in the housing. Here, you have the very rich living side-by-side with the very poor. An example is Oxford Street, one of the richest streets in Accra, filled with shops, a mall, and large billboards that may be a faint cousin to those in Times Square. On one side of the street are these attractions and nice restaurants, visibly very clean and well kept, and on the other side, are the slums. It’s a very strange sight to see such a prosperous area to your right and be able to look to your left and see the exact opposite.

Another example is one that really surprised me. The Flagstaff House in Accra is the White House of Ghana, and one of the most ornate buildings in the country, yet across the street are many low income buildings. Imagine that in America. Right across the street from the White House you see a grouping of run-down buildings right there. My dad works towards mixed-income development but this is very different. Instead of mixing the people of different incomes in a single living area so that their income differences are indistinguishable, here it is obvious to see who lives where.

What really frightens me is that a majority of the people live in places like the slums and run-down buildings. The poverty here is much easier to see as it is sprinkled everywhere. When I say slums, I mean one or two room homes that are literally made of mud and tin. They are EVERYWHERE. In the city, along the roads, there are miles of little shops and right behind them lie a neighborhood of these tiny homes that make up the slums. Unlike in the US where there are specific areas that are more poverty-stricken, here, everywhere you look, even if you’re enjoying a nice night out at the mall or a nice restaurant, it is right there. Even houses that may look nice on the outside aren’t as pristine and put-together as one may assume on the inside.

In addition to the established expensive homes and homes in the slums, there are many homes under construction throughout the city of Accra. Because of the bureaucracy in the country, it is extremely hard to get anything done in a somewhat quick manner. Unfortunately, this results in half-finished homes and buildings that may not be finished for years. These unfinished homes scatter the city and largely subtract from the obvious progression that a majority of the city is working towards.