Accra, Ghana — Amidst Ghana’s escalating housing disaster, a groundbreaking initiative spearheaded by Eric Kwaku Gyimah is popping delivery containers into reasonably priced, eco-friendly properties.
This revolutionary strategy not solely addresses pressing housing wants but in addition presents a sustainable residing mannequin, selling environmental conservation.
At a bustling development website on the outskirts of Accra, Gyimah, clad in work boots and a high-visibility vest, oversees the transformation of discarded delivery containers into fashionable residing areas.
This initiative, which Gyimah describes as greater than only a enterprise however a motion, goals to offer an answer to the housing deficit that has been intensifying attributable to fast urbanization and financial challenges.
According to the Ghana Statistical Service, about six million of Ghana’s 33 million inhabitants urgently want housing. The scenario is exacerbated in city areas like Accra, the place inadequate housing provide has led to overcrowded slums. From 2017 to 2020, the inhabitants residing in such circumstances surged from 5.5 million to eight.8 million, as reported by the United Nations.
Gyimah’s firm, IWoodz Creation, not solely constructs properties but in addition builds shops, places of work, and cafes from decommissioned delivery containers.
These buildings are designed with pure air flow techniques to reinforce consolation with out the necessity for energy-intensive cooling units.
The affordability of those container properties, starting from $7,000 to $35,000, presents an economical different to conventional development, which might price as much as $70,000 for a primary two-bedroom home.
Despite the potential advantages, some planning specialists warning that whereas delivery container properties can alleviate a few of the housing shortages, they might not absolutely tackle the underlying points with out integration into broader city planning and neighborhood improvement methods.
Critics like Accra-based city planner Abrahim Sowah-Dei emphasize the necessity for complete methods that guarantee long-term sustainability and neighborhood well-being.
Additionally, housing activist Mohammed Awal advocates that container properties ought to meet excessive requirements of security, consolation, and dignity, making certain that marginalized communities will not be relegated to what is likely to be seen as substandard residing options.
The current flood catastrophe in October 2023, attributable to the rupture of the Akosombo dam, has additional highlighted the necessity for such revolutionary housing options.
The flooding displaced over 40,000 folks, prompting Gyimah to think about increasing his enterprise to offer cellular housing for catastrophe victims. This initiative goals to create secure havens that not solely provide shelter but in addition symbolize resilience and hope for these affected.
As Ghana grapples with its extreme housing disaster, initiatives like Gyimah’s delivery container properties might play a vital position in offering reasonably priced, sustainable housing options, demonstrating the potential of revolutionary approaches to deal with advanced social challenges.
https://www.africanexponent.com/innovative-shipping-container-homes-address-ghanas-housing-crisis/
