Adequate supply of housing remains a challenge in developing countries. This article assesses the extent of housing poverty in developing countries and its implication for decent accommodation1 in Swedru, Ghana. Using a cross-sectional survey design coupled with stratified and systematic sampling techniques, 1,161 household participants were selected. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect raw data from 496 houses in 16 neighbourhoods in the Swedru Township, Ghana. Findings showed that the vast majority of houses in the Swedru Township share common housing facilities such as bathroom and lavatory. This has compelled some households to resort to bathing in open spaces, while practising free range especially in the morning where households have to queue for bathing and using the toilet facility. A room occupancy rate of 5.51 indicates that households are congested and a population of 4,603 accommodated in 496 housing units is evident. It was revealed that the high level of non-decent accommodation in the municipality is attributable to ill-enforcement of building laws that has allowed houseowners to supply housing without lavatories with impunity.

Housing has become a growing concern across the globe and, with the growing number of the urban poor, particularly in Africa, the situation has worsened to unprecedented levels and it seems that the trend is persisting (Chirisa & Matamanda, 2016: 41). Aribigbola (2011: 26) reiterated that housing is crucial to the welfare, survival, and health of individuals. Erguden (2001: 5) opined that housing, apart from being a treasured asset, has much broader economic, social, cultural, and personal connotations. In accordance with UN-Habitat (2003: 31), although Africa is the least urbanised, it remains the continent urbanising the most, leading to a great challenge of providing decent housing for its urban population. A study by Kempe (1998: 4) reveals that, by 2025, Africa would have an average urban population growth of 3.05%, with West Africa alone estimated to have an average annual population growth of 3.16%.