Gov’t launches national urban policy and slum upgrading strategy to tackle flooding and housing challenges

The government has launched a new 10-year National Urban Policy and a National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategy, acknowledging that Ghana's previous urban development policy achieved only about half of its intended objectives as cities continue to grapple with flooding, housing shortages, congestion and unplanned settlements.

The National Urban Policy (2026–2035) and the National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Strategy (2026–2035) were launched on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, during the opening of the 9th Ghana Urban Forum in Accra under the theme, "Resetting Ghana's Urban Future: Thinking Nationally and Taking Local Actions for Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable Cities."

In a keynote address delivered on behalf of President John Mahama by the Board Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Nii Moi Thompson, the President said a review of Ghana's maiden National Urban Policy, introduced in 2012, showed that implementation reached only about 50 per cent of its intended outcomes.