Please Hear Us Out, GH¢950,000 For A Two‑Bedroom Is Not Affordable Housing – Nana Kwadwo Jantuah

In an Official Facebook Post on 11 October 2026, Nana Kwadwo Jantuah, a Building Technologist, penned an open letter to the President of Ghana and the Minister for Works and Housing, raising urgent concerns about the pricing of government’s so‑called affordable housing. His words “GH¢950,000 for a two‑bedroom is not affordable housing – please hear us out, let us build with Ghanaian bricks” framed the argument that current housing policies exclude the very people they are meant to serve.

Jantuah began by highlighting the stark mismatch between salaries of ordinary workers and the cost of housing. Teachers, nurses, and police officers earn between GH¢3,000 and GH¢4,000 monthly, yet a two‑bedroom house priced at GH¢950,000 would require mortgage payments exceeding GH¢10,000 per month. He argued that such pricing effectively disqualifies the majority of Ghanaian workers from accessing housing under the “affordable” label.

He traced the problem to the way houses are built. Ghana relies heavily on sandcrete blocks, which require large amounts of cement — a material that is expensive and largely imported. With cement prices rising above GH¢85 per bag, the reliance on cement inflates construction costs. Jantuah insisted that this approach is unsustainable and unfair, especially when Ghana has abundant local resources.

His proposed solution was clear: adopt Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB), popularly known as interlocking bricks. He explained the process in simple terms: Ghana’s laterite soil is mixed with a small percentage of cement, compressed into strong blocks, and designed to interlock like Lego pieces. This reduces the need for mortar, plastering, and painting, while cutting costs dramatically.

Jantuah backed his proposal with data from Ghanaian research comparing sandcrete and interlocking bricks for a two‑bedroom house. The findings showed savings of 114 bags of cement, 77% less sand, 69% less labour, and 85% less finishing costs. Overall, interlocking bricks reduced wall construction costs by over 40% in today’s market. He emphasized that beyond cost savings, earth bricks are environmentally friendly, cooler indoors due to thermal lag, and can be produced locally to create jobs and save foreign exchange.

– Create true affordable housing priced between GH¢320,000 and GH¢450,000.

– Implement the 60% local materials policy from Ghana’s Housing Policy.

– Establish district brick factories to employ youth.

– Train students in technical universities to master brick production and construction.

Jantuah concluded passionately, reminding leaders and citizens that Ghana is literally standing on the soil that can house its people. Importing cement while ignoring local materials, he argued, is making Ghanaians homeless in their own land. He pledged readiness to demonstrate the feasibility of his proposal with a sample house and full costing.

Source: Nana Kwadwo Jantuah, Official Facebook Post, 11 October, 2026

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