The National Tenants Union of Ghana (NATUG) has vowed to mobilise half a million Ghanaians to demand urgent reforms in the country’s rental system, which it describes as unaffordable and exploitative.
The move comes in solidarity with the National Coalition of Youth Against High Rent in Ghana, a youth-led campaign pushing for systemic change in the housing sector.
NATUG says the protest will mark the largest mobilisation of tenants in Ghana’s democratic history.
NATUG’s Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Reindolph Afrifa-Oware, said successive governments have failed tenants by refusing to enact and enforce laws that protect them.
“For years, landlords have been allowed to exploit tenants through outrageous rent increases,” Afrifa-Oware said. “We commend the youth coalition for their courage and clarity of purpose, and we are ready to support them to take this fight to the next level.”
He explained that NATUG’s immediate goal is to rally 500,000 young people for a mass march to Parliament to demand legislative action from both the Executive and the Legislature.
“This is not just a moment; it is a movement,” he declared. “Our leaders have made promises for years but failed to deliver. This time, we are demanding bold, transformative housing reforms.”
Afrifa-Oware expressed disappointment at the government’s slow progress on a new housing law that has been under discussion since 2020, describing the delay as “alarming.”
He cited cases where young workers spend up to 90–100 percent of their monthly salaries on rent, leaving little room for savings or investment.
“The Rent Control Department has become a toothless bulldog,” he said. “The current rent law is outdated and not fit for purpose. Without reform, the crisis will only deepen, trapping more Ghanaians in poverty.”
He stressed the need to review and enforce the Rent Act, 1963 (Act 220), which the National Democratic Congress (NDC) pledged to amend in its 2024 manifesto. The proposed review included measures such as standardising residential housing and introducing quality controls.
But Afrifa-Oware criticised the ruling party’s inaction despite its two-thirds majority in Parliament. “What exactly have they done, and when will they deliver on their promises?” he questioned.
Calling on the media to amplify the concerns of tenants, he warned that housing has become one of the most urgent social crises facing the country.
“The housing situation in Ghana is dire,” Afrifa-Oware said. “If urgent reforms are not introduced, the youth will remain trapped in cycles of poverty and exploitation.”
