Incessant encroachment on quarry and sand-winning sites across the country is pushing up construction costs and worsening Ghana’s housing affordability crisis, the Minister of Works and Housing, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, has said.
The practice, he said, had led to a sharp rise in the cost of transporting aggregates, with prices increasing by as much as 23 per cent, as contractors are forced to haul materials from sources located more than 40 kilometres away from project sites.
Speaking at a cross-sectoral forum on “Encroachment Challenges in Quarry and Sand-Winning Zones” in Accra yesterday, Mr Adjei said the situation was undermining efforts to provide housing at prices that ordinary Ghanaians could afford.
“This is far more than just an inconvenience. It disrupts project schedules, inflates budgets, increases contractor risks, and ultimately places additional strain on public finances.
The consequences are stalled housing projects, weakened partnerships, and declining investor confidence in our sector,” he said.
While assuring of government’s commitment to addressing the problem, the Minister stressed the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration.
“Protecting our critical quarry and sand-winning zones is a shared responsibility that requires every stakeholder to step up,” he added.
He called on the Minerals Commission, Lands Commission, local assemblies, and industry players to strengthen enforcement, safeguard extraction areas, and promote sustainable alternatives to reduce over-reliance on natural resources.
“The task ahead demands boldness, unity, and urgency. It is only through strong partnerships between government, regulators, local authorities, industry players, and communities that we can protect our resources, reduce cost pressures, and restore efficiency to our project delivery systems,” Mr Adjei said.
The Executive Chairman of the Commercial Quarry Operators Association, Dr Ebenezer Mireku, said all quarries in the southern sector of the country had currently been encroached upon.
He explained that safety regulations required a 500 metre buffer zone around quarry sites to protect communities from hazards such as blasting and rock crushing, but these were being flouted.
“The nearer you come, the more dangerous it becomes for safety reasons. This challenge not only poses health risks but also threatens business sustainability,” he cautioned, urging urgent steps to tackle the problem.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry (GhCCI), Emmanuel Cherry, who convened the forum, stressed that encroachment had become a major disincentive to the construction sector and called for swift action to address the menace.
Ghana’s housing deficit is currently estimated at 1.8 million units and attributed to factors including rapid population growth, continued urbanisation, and high construction costs.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
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