On Wednesday, October 7, 2026, President John Dramani Mahama addressed the National Conference on Housing Finance, demanding stricter enforcement of building safety regulations at the district assembly level. He instructed Minister Mahama Ayariga to ensure that officials responsible for overseeing building safety are held accountable when structural failures occur.
Speaking about the persistent issue of buildings continuing to be constructed despite stop‑work orders, the President said, “More often than not, you see red paint stop work, and yet the work continues. And you wonder what’s happening.” He added, “And one day they are working, and the whole house comes tumbling down. You ask, who gave the permit for that building?”
Mahama emphasized that when a house collapses, the duty to ensure its safety must be traced back to the responsible official, who must then be sanctioned. He urged the Ministry of Local Government to take the matter very seriously and to establish clear accountability mechanisms.
The comments come amid reports that over 75 building collapses have been recorded in Ghana over the past five years, with an estimated one to three multi‑storey failures each year. The President also called for broader measures to improve housing conditions, tackling overcrowding, insecure land tenure, poor sanitation and inadequate access to utilities.
He concluded, “We must also ensure that the homes we build are safe, accessible and connected to jobs and essential services.” The government will reportedly review current enforcement protocols in the coming weeks.
