Ghana’s Minister for Works and Housing, Hon. Francis Asenso-Boakye has pledged the country’s commitment to the United Nations’ ‘New Urban Agenda’.

The Minister was addressing a High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, convened by the President of the 76th session of the General Assembly, His Excellency Mr. Abdulla Shahid, to assess progress on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda on Thursday, April 28, 2022, in New York, on behalf of the government of Ghana.

“Ghana is committed to making a conscious effort towards the implementation of the New Urban Agenda to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”, he affirmed.

He added that “the choices we all make today could result in a breakthrough to a greener, better and safer future.”

Mr. Asenso-Boakye explained that the government of Ghana is prioritizing the provision of affordable housing to address the challenges confronting its citizens in homeownership.

“Recent statistics from the 2021 Population and Housing Census Report on Housing Characteristics revealed that approximately 12.7% of the total structures counted were vacant housing units, giving a clear indication that our housing supply has out priced the average person in Ghana”, said the Bantama lawmaker.

The ‘New Urban Agenda’, adopted at Habitat III in Quito, Ecuador, on 20 October 2016, is a paradigm shift based on the science of cities and lays out standards and principles for the planning, construction, development, management, and improvement of urban areas.

It is intended as a resource for different actors in multiple levels of government and for civil society organizations, the private sector, and all who reside in urban spaces of the world.

This Agenda highlights linkages between sustainable urbanization and job creation, livelihood opportunities, and improved quality of life, and it insists on the incorporation of all these sectors in every urban development or renewal policy and strategy.

The attendance of Hon. Francis Asenso-Boakye at this year’s UN General Assembly Meeting will be a game-changer for the country as it prepares to embark on a revised National Affordable Housing program.

Prior to this meeting, Ghana’s Housing Minister had joined colleague Ministers in the Region at a Special African Ministerial Session on Sustainable Urbanization and Housing, that was held on April 14, 2022, in Kenya to make key recommendations on behalf of the region.