Accra, Ghana – At a development website on the outskirts of Accra, the spirited determine of Eric Kwaku Gyimah directs the flurry of exercise.
Clad in sturdy work boots caked with mud from the ground, his worn denims bear the marks of many hours spent amid the concrete and metal and a high-visibility vest drapes over his shoulders.
Amid stacks of delivery containers and the hum of heavy equipment, his voice rises above the noise, issuing directives to his staff.
For him, that is greater than only a development website; right here, discarded delivery containers are remodeled into eco-friendly houses, providing a possible resolution to the West African nation’s housing disaster.
“That is greater than a enterprise; it’s a motion,” he declares.
Ghana’s housing disaster has been constructing for a while. The Ghana Statistical Service has reported that roughly six million of Ghana’s 33 million inhabitants are in pressing want of housing.
A few of these individuals are homeless however most reside in dangerously overcrowded slums which have grown up over time on the sting of Ghana’s bigger cities. The inhabitants dwelling in slums surged from 5.5 million in 2017 to eight.8 million by 2020, the newest rely by the United Nations.
One purpose for that is fast urbanisation, pushed by each rural-to-urban migration and pure inhabitants development. As extra individuals transfer to city areas in the hunt for financial alternatives, the demand for housing surpasses the out there provide, resulting in the proliferation of casual settlements and slums.
Moreover, financial challenges and restricted entry to financing have hindered many Ghanaians from shopping for or constructing houses.
This new enterprise goals not solely to deal with the fast want for housing, but in addition to current a extra inexpensive and sustainable dwelling mannequin.
“As we confront Ghana’s staggering housing deficit, it’s crucial to supply greater than mere buildings; we should current a imaginative and prescient for sustainable dwelling,” Gyimah says.
“We’re not solely offering shelter but in addition saving the setting for the long run technology. Whereas paving the way in which for sustainable dwelling fashions, we aspire to create an enduring influence, one house at a time.”
The start of an concept
Rising up with 17 siblings in Akim Swedru – 180km (112 miles) from the capital, Accra – in japanese Ghana, Gyimah says he dreamed of turning into both a banker or an artist.
However Gyimah’s curiosity in sustainability was deeply rooted in his upbringing in a area identified for its rainforests, streams, hills and rivers. He noticed the fast deforestation and destruction of wildlife habitats attributable to development and unlawful mining. So, regardless of having studied banking and finance, he determined to pursue his ardour for carpentry.
His journey into house design started with a easy concept; producing trendy lodging for pets, particularly canine – “for them to stay a greater life”, he says. He shortly stepped as much as designing houses for individuals when he was struck by the concept of reusing delivery containers.
“I settled on repurposing delivery containers, sometimes discarded after their maritime service life, into stylish and cozy dwelling areas for individuals to stay in,” the daddy of three tells Al Jazeera.
Affordability is paramount if his enterprise is to have a hope of creating any kind of influence on Ghana’s want for housing. Subsequently, his houses are primarily aimed toward people and households looking for inexpensive but sustainable dwelling options. The price of these houses varies relying on the design, with the best choices starting from $7,000 to $10,000. “This quantity is only for the construction, excluding furnishing,” he provides.
Extra advanced designs with totally fitted kitchens and loos, unfold over a number of storeys, price as a lot as $35,000, however, in contrast with a standard bricks-and-mortar design, these houses nonetheless price an excellent deal much less.
In line with the Ghana Actual Property Builders Affiliation, it will probably price between $50,000 to $70,000 to construct a brand new two-bedroom, bricks-and-mortar home.
In line with Ghana Property Centre, a one or two-bedroom home within the capital metropolis of Accra prices about $100,000. A delivery container house, in contrast, “is cost-effective as in comparison with the normal concrete buildings … We wish to make it attainable for lots of people to personal houses in Ghana,” Gyimah says.
Against this to bricks and mortar, delivery container houses may be constructed shortly. Whereas quite simple delivery container house designs may be accomplished in just a few weeks, extra advanced layouts can take as much as a yr to construct.
“It’s not time-consuming,” he says. “On high of it, the supplies utilized in constructing these delivery homes are eco-friendly. Finally, it’s cell. You’d have saved 30 p.c of what you’ll have spent on block buildings. It saves a number of land house, too.”
“Beginning small with only one refurbished delivery container for my workplace in 2019 was just the start,” Gyimah says. Since then, the enterprise, IWoodz Creation, has grown, now using 25 native employees.
In addition to the 52 particular person houses it has constructed, the group additionally turns decommissioned delivery containers into shops, places of work and cafes.
In an effort to use much less power, these houses use pure air flow by way of extra strategic placement of home windows and vents which dissipate warmth extra effectively, Gyimah explains, “decreasing the necessity for energy-intensive cooling techniques like air conditioners”.
Too little, too late?
Gyimah’s strategy has been criticised by some, nevertheless. Whereas the environmental advantages are clear, planning consultants say options resembling this can doubtless solely have a small impact on Ghana’s housing downside. It’s also unclear how lengthy these types of houses will final, though Gyimah says they need to final in addition to standard homes do so long as they’re maintained correctly.
“Whereas repurposing delivery containers into houses might look like an progressive resolution to Ghana’s housing disaster, we should strategy it with warning,” Accra-based city planner Abrahim Sowah-Dei says. “Whereas these buildings supply a fast and cost-effective method to offer shelter, they might not essentially deal with the basis causes of the housing scarcity.
“We should make sure that these container houses are built-in into complete city planning methods that prioritise long-term sustainability and group wellbeing.”
Housing activist Mohammed Awal, who advocates for inexpensive housing and tenants’ rights in Ghana, mentioned container houses mustn’t simply be a “low cost” choice for poorer residents. “Container houses should meet enough requirements of security, consolation, and dignity for residents. Moreover, we should make sure that marginalised communities are usually not additional marginalised by relegating them to container housing options.”
Regardless of these considerations, Felix Asante, a 45-year-old married father of two younger kids, says he’s extraordinarily completely satisfied along with his household’s new three-bedroom, delivery container house.
He couldn’t have hoped to purchase a similar-sized bricks-and-mortar property on the funds he had, he says. “I spent near 40 p.c much less ($18,000) than if I had been doing the normal concrete home with the identical measurement and elegance.”
The house has its personal small backyard, spacious dwelling space and a number of pure gentle, he provides, in addition to good insulation and photo voltaic panels for power.
Subsequent cease – serving to flood victims
In October 2023, the Akosombo dam, a hydroelectric dam which generates electrical energy for many of Ghana’s 16 areas in addition to for neighbouring Togo and Benin, burst.
Located on the Volta River within the Akosombo Gorge in southeastern Ghana, the dam is on Lake Volta, which was created when it was constructed.
When it ruptured final yr, devastating floods displaced greater than 40,000 individuals, together with a major variety of kids, who’re among the many most susceptible in such conditions, as highlighted by the UN in Ghana. These floods not solely led to the lack of houses and belongings but in addition disrupted livelihoods and entry to important companies like schooling in three areas. Colleges in affected communities had been both destroyed or rendered inaccessible, halting schooling for a lot of kids who now depend on assist from organisations and people for survival.
Moved by the plight of these affected by the flooding, Gyimah is exploring methods to leverage his enterprise to deal with the urgent want for housing options for displaced victims. He envisions collaborating with catastrophe administration organisations to pioneer the development of cell and first rate housing options for displaced victims. He envisions these cell houses not simply as shelters, however as “symbols of resilience and hope” for these affected by pure disasters.
“I’m establishing secure havens with the delivery containers in areas the place flooding is a matter. They’ll function non permanent shelters for displaced individuals, particularly ladies and kids and even school rooms for youngsters in catastrophe conditions,” Gyimah mentioned.