Mr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, on Wednesday joined his colleagues across the globe to participate in the United Nations (UN) Habitat 7th World Urban Forum (WUF7) Mayors’ Conference in Medellin, Colombia.
The WUF7 is on the theme: ¨Urban Equity in Development – Cities for Life,” is focusing on seeking ways to strengthen and develop institutional framework for sustainable urban development and housing to enable urban innovation for fast and equitable development in their various cities.
It is being organised by the Federal Ministry of Economic Co-operation and Development of Germany in collaboration with the UN-Habitat.
The WUF7 will serve as a platform to determine the guidelines for Habitat III, the Third United Nations Conference on Housing, and Sustainable Urban Development, schedule for 2016 which will focus on Climate Change, Protection and Public Safety.
In an interview with Ghana News Agency, Mr Vanderpuije said the conference would provide mayors the opportunity to know where the world’s focus is on local governance and also help them to know its real perspective.
He said the conference would encourage local government leaders to push for the realisation of urbanisation so as to address challenges bedeviling the housing industry in order to achieve prosperous cities for development.
Mr Vanderpuije said the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is embarking on a number of initiatives aimed to address social issues such as housing and community upgrading.
He said one of such initiatives is the Government Affordable Housing project, which is being undertaking by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust and the Tema Development Corporation.
Mr Vanderpuije said slums in Accra are expanding rapidly and this calls for measures to address the situation, adding that, the AMA would learn from Medellin, which has good and equitable housing system.
Meanwhile Ghana’s Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Urban Development Division would hold a side event for participants on the topic: “Ghana Rising: Leveraging Urbanisation for Inclusive and Equitable Development” to discuss measures on how to improve urbanisation in the country.