Industry stakeholders are pressing for professional architects to be formally embedded within Ghana’s Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), arguing that the absence of qualified built environment professionals from local governance structures is costing the country in wasted construction capital, delayed projects, and stunted urban economic growth.
The call came at a media engagement organised by the Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA), themed around navigating urban development and regulatory compliance. The forum framed the issue not merely as a planning concern but as a direct economic bottleneck affecting real estate investment returns, infrastructure delivery timelines, and the broader competitiveness of Ghana’s growing cities.
Despite Ghana operating 261 MMDAs, only 10 currently have professional architects on staff, leaving the vast majority of local authorities without the technical expertise to guide permitting, zoning enforcement, and development standards in any consistent way.
Speakers at the forum highlighted a recurring and costly pattern in Ghana’s construction sector: developers commit substantial capital to full architectural designs without prior validation from planning authorities, only to face rejections on grounds of zoning violations or height restrictions. The result is avoidable sunk costs, extended timelines, and reduced returns on investment.
Mr Victor T. Mensah, former Director of Works at the Coastal Development Authority, argued that structured early-stage architectural review mechanisms within assemblies would de-risk projects and improve capital efficiency across the construction sector. He proposed the introduction of approval-in-principle systems, backed by professional architectural input, that would allow developers to validate concepts before committing financial resources to detailed designs. “Without early technical scrutiny, developers face a higher probability of design rejection, which translates into wasted investment and delayed project delivery,” he said.
Mr Mensah also drew attention to the broader economic cost of poor design in public infrastructure, pointing to underutilised spaces beneath flyovers as examples of lost commercial opportunity, where inadequate attention to lighting, security, and spatial planning renders otherwise viable areas economically inactive.
Mr Augustus Richardson, Vice President of the GIA, proposed that MMDAs engage independent architects on a contractual rather than permanent basis, ensuring professional independence while giving assemblies access to high-level technical expertise without significantly expanding their wage bills. He argued that institutionalising such advisory roles would improve regulatory consistency, reduce disputes between developers and assemblies, and create a more predictable investment climate for Ghana’s real estate and construction sectors.
“A more transparent and professionally guided permitting system lowers uncertainty and enhances investor confidence in the real estate and construction sectors,” he said. Richardson also flagged the long-term costs of poorly designed public infrastructure, including bus shelters that fail accessibility requirements and demand expensive retrofitting shortly after construction.
From the local government side, Mr John D. Sowah Nai, Municipal Chief Executive of the Ga West Municipal Assembly, acknowledged the economic case for stronger coordination between assemblies and built environment professionals. He indicated that clearer zoning frameworks and design guidelines would streamline approvals and reduce administrative delays, while coordinated urban design standards including vertical development controls could enhance property values and attract investment into Ghana’s urban centres.
Mr Mustapha Gariba of the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development added that enforcement remains a critical gap across the sector, and that professional architectural oversight could strengthen compliance and better protect both public and private investments from the consequences of substandard construction.
Forum participants concluded that embedding architectural expertise within MMDAs would reduce regulatory inefficiencies, improve land use outcomes, and position Ghana’s cities as more competitive destinations for sustained real estate and infrastructure investment.
