The Managing Director of Shelter Afrique Development Bank (ShafDB), Thierno-Habib Hann, has pledged the institution’s financing and technical expertise to support Ghana’s housing agenda and the government’s 24-Hour Economy vision.

Speaking at the opening of the maiden National Conference on Housing Finance in Accra on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Hann said addressing Ghana’s housing deficit would require stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors.

The conference, held under the theme “Adequate Housing for All: Innovative Financing for Ghana’s Housing Future,” brought together stakeholders to discuss ways of improving access to housing finance in the country.

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According to Hann, millions of families across Africa, including Ghana, still lack decent and affordable homes, with demand for housing continuing to outpace supply.

Drawing on Shelter Afrique Development Bank’s 45 years of experience in the housing sector, Hann said private capital alone could not solve Africa’s housing challenges.

“Housing markets work when public vision and private investment move together. That is why we are standing closer to governments and backing their initiatives more directly,” he said.

He further pointed to the potential of Ghana’s housing sector to generate jobs and retain more economic value locally.

According to him, housing currently contributes 3.3% of Ghana’s GDP directly, while 27.8% of construction input value is imported.

He said Ghana could retain more of this value by increasing the local production of building materials and components, which would create jobs and increase demand for Ghanaian suppliers.

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Hann further cited Kenya’s Affordable Housing Programme as an example of what coordinated public-private partnerships could achieve.

According to him, the programme currently has more than 270,000 homes under construction across over 200 sites in all 47 counties, while creating more than 640,000 direct jobs and hundreds of thousands of additional indirect jobs.

Hann further noted that the Kenyan government has invested more than $6 billion in the programme to date.

He said such an approach demonstrated the impact that strong collaboration between the government and private investors could have on the housing sector.

JHM/AM