… as gov’t commits to nationwide shift to low-carbon building
Ghana has announced a major new housing initiative that will embed low-carbon design standards into public construction, marking one of the most significant policy shifts in the country’s built-environment sector in years. The Greenville District Housing Programme, announced by the Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, at the close-out event of the IFC/SECO Designing for Greater Efficiency (DfGE) programme, is intended to serve as a national blueprint for climate-resilient, resource-efficient housing.
The programme, which forms part of government efforts to align Ghana’s construction sector with its climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, will require both the overall project sites and every individual housing unit to pursue EDGE certification, a globally recognised standard for energy, water and materials efficiency. The move, the minister said, signals a decisive shift toward embedding sustainability into public housing delivery rather than treating it as an optional add-on.
Announcing the initiative, Mr. Adjei described Greenville as a “landmark achievement” and a model for how countries like Ghana can decarbonise rapidly growing built environments without sacrificing affordability or scale.
“Our focus is no longer solely on the numbers and how we construct, but why we build, with what and for whom. Our goal is clear, to create structures that minimise environmental harm, maximise resource efficiency, and enhance human well-being and prosperity,” he said. According to Mr. Adjei, the Greenville District Housing Programme is anchored on low-carbon, locally sourced building materials and scalable construction models intended to deliver modern, climate-resilient homes at the district level. The Ministry expects the approach to demonstrate that sustainable construction can be both financially viable and socially inclusive. The pilot phase will begin “in the coming weeks.”
The initiative builds on the Climate Action Roadmap for Buildings and Construction launched last year by the Ministry in partnership with UN-Habitat, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). The roadmap, the first of its kind for Ghana, sets out a structured plan for decarbonising the country’s buildings sector and integrating climate resilience into housing, infrastructure and urban development. The minister said Greenville is the first major programme designed specifically to operationalise that roadmap.
The announcement comes at a moment when the construction sector faces mounting pressure to respond to the climate emergency. Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of global energy consumption and around 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. In Ghana, where population growth and rapid urbanisation are accelerating demand for new homes, housing is expected to be one of the country’s biggest sources of emissions over the next decade unless design and construction practices change.
Development partners at the event welcomed the government’s commitment to scaling sustainable housing. Yewande Giwa, IFC’s Senior Country Officer, said the decision to embed EDGE in the Greenville programme reflects an understanding that modern public housing must balance climate responsibility with economic opportunity.
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“Without proactive measures, inefficient energy and water use will lock in unsustainable patterns for decades,” she said. The Swiss government, whose economic development arm SECO co-funded the DfGE programme, noted that the skills built over the past three years have positioned Ghana to take such a step. Magdalena Wüst, SECO’s Head of Cooperation, said the training of more than 250 students and 30 trainers, along with strong uptake by universities and professional associations, ensures the country now has a growing pool of practitioners capable of delivering sustainable housing at scale.
At the technical level, EDGE certification requires buildings to achieve at least 20 percent improvements in energy efficiency, 10 percent in water savings and 15 percent reductions in embodied carbon compared to a local baseline. By pursuing certification for both the district-wide development and each dwelling within it, the Ministry aims to set a new national benchmark for public housing delivery.
For many stakeholders present at the event, Greenville is evidence of the government’s readiness to pair its climate rhetoric with concrete action. Ghana’s construction ecosystem, spanning architects, engineers, developers and financiers, has long called for clearer policy direction and incentives to support green building investments. The programme’s launch could provide the clarity needed to unlock financing and accelerate innovation.
Minister Adjei stressed that the government views this as the beginning of a broader transition.
“Let me be unequivocal that this close-out is not an end; it is a new beginning. We will continue working hand-in-hand with industry, academia, civil society and international partners to build a resilient, equitable and sustainable built environment,” he said.
