Housing affordability among Public sector workers the case study of Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly

Abstract

Housing has come to be accepted on various platforms as one of the most essential elements in our lives. The need to provide adequate, decent and affordable housing has remained a top priority of every government in Ghana. This problem is further heightened in the urban settings due to rapid urbanization. One critical element that cannot be overlooked is the issue of providing affordable housing to public sector workers. The study adopted the mixed approach method by purposively selecting public sector worker in Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. A total of 250 public sector workers participated in the study from the four sub-metros of the metropolis using a developed questionnaire with both qualitative and quantitative aspects. Findings from the study indicate that public sector workers in Sekondi-Takoradi rely mostly on self enquiries and friends or relatives in their search for affordable housing by mostly using their saving. The factors the influence their choice of affordable housing were accessibility factors, housing characteristics and financial factors. Availability accessibility and financial challenges were also identified as the challenges public sector workers in Sekondi-Takoradi faced in getting affordable housing. It is recommended that public sector agencies should assist their employees by building apartments to accommodate them.