President John Dramani Mahama’s 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) drew both praise and sharp criticism on housing issues, especially from tenant groups that feel the government is still not confronting the everyday realities of renters in Ghana.
The National Tenants Union of Ghana, speaking through its Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Reindolph Afrifa‑Oware, has publicly called out the SONA for failing to directly address the worsening housing deficit and the exploitative rent practices tenants face, including long‑duration advance payments.
What Mahama said on housing in SONA 2026
In the 2026 SONA, Mahama reaffirmed that “affordable housing” is a top priority and highlighted ongoing and planned large‑scale projects as the backbone of his strategy, even as Ghana continues to grapple with a significant housing deficit estimated at over 1.8 million units.
He cited progress on the 800‑unit affordable housing project being implemented by the Tema Development Company (TDC) at Community 26 in Tema, and pointed to the Oxygen City Housing Project in Ho as a flagship urban‑development drive that will add multi‑storey apartments, schools, a hospital, and other facilities.
The President also unveiled the 50,000‑unit “Teacher Dabre” housing initiative aimed at providing decent accommodation for teachers, especially those in deprived and rural areas, as part of his broader promise to narrow the housing gap and help bridge the 1.8‑million‑unit shortfall.
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Tenants’ grievances: rent, advance payments, and unmet promises
The National Tenants Union, speaking to the Ghana News Agency, said it is “highly disappointed” that the 2026 address did not lay out concrete measures to tackle the 1.8‑million‑unit housing deficit the government itself acknowledged in 2025. The union’s leadership lamented that Mahama appears to repeat old promises without showing how stalled projects such as the abandoned Saglemi housing estate have actually been revived, and they stressed that housing policy must move beyond “political symbolism” into clear timelines, financing transparency, and enforceable milestones.
On the micro‑level, tenants complain about exploitative rent structures, including demands for up to six months or a year’s rent in advance, short tenancy contracts that favour landlords, and the constant threat of eviction without notice. These issues are especially painful for low‑income earners, young professionals, and students who already struggle with high living costs in cities such as Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale. The Tenants Association argues that the SONA should have explicitly addressed rent‑control frameworks, longer‑term security of tenure, and clearer rules on how much advance payment a landlord can demand, instead of focusing almost entirely on new housing stock.
Current housing issues confronting Ghanaians
Beyond rhetoric in Parliament, the housing crisis on the ground is driven by rapid urbanisation, a limited supply of low‑cost housing, and weak regulation of the rental market. Many urban dwellers either live in overcrowded facilities, informal settlements, or poorly maintained structures, while middle‑income households face soaring rents that consume a large share of their monthly income. At the same time, stalled public housing projects and repeated delays in delivery have eroded public trust in government‑led housing schemes, feeding the Tenants Union’s criticism that the SONA is more about announcing new projects than fixing broken systems.
What the debate implies for future policy
The backlash from the Tenants Association throws into sharp relief a key tension: building more houses (supply‑side) versus protecting tenants and regulating rent (demand‑ and rights‑side). While Mahama’s 2026 SONA leans heavily on large‑scale developments like TDC and Oxygen City, it gives little detail on how rent controls, tenancy rights, and landlord accountability will be strengthened, a gap that tenant leaders see as a missed opportunity.
Many Ghanaians grappling with rent hikes, eviction threats and long-duration advance payment demands increasingly expect the next SONA or accompanying housing policy to match infrastructure pledges with enforceable tenant protections, not merely ribbon-cutting ceremonies and announcements of new housing projects.
