Cutting EDGE: The first climate certified affordable housing in Northern Ghana

Cutting EDGE: The first climate certified affordable housing project in Northern Ghana.

Reall is delighted to announce that our affordable housing project in Tamale, Ghana, has achieved the globally recognised EDGE Certification – the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) green building standard. This shows that homes that are climate-smart can also be affordable. It gives low-income customers the opportunity to get on the Ghanaian housing ladder, and also encourages developers to see the value of building green homes.

Unlocking potential 

New homeowners from the Tamale Project were handed the keys to their new homes, along with the EDGE Certificates.

Members of the Tamale community receiving the keys and EDGE certificates for their new affordable homes.

In conversation with EDGE experts

• What does the housing project look like? The project consists of 100 two-bedroom green affordable homes. 
• Who has led on this project? Reall has worked with the developer Afreh Group on the construction of the houses.
• So how good is it? It’s been certified to the EDGE green building standard.
• What does that mean in practice? It has achieved 34% improvements in energy efficiency, 31% improvements in water efficiency, and 56% improvements in embodied energy in materials, compared with conventional local construction methods.
• Has it used any innovative solutions or technologies? The contractor has achieved improved green performance through measures such as low-flow water fittings, walls built with compressed earth blocks, and naturally ventilated spaces.
• Is there anything else that makes the project notable? It’s the first EDGE certified project in Northern Ghana. Reall and Afreh Group have brought in best practice from the construction sectors in both Ghana and the UK to deliver a product which is affordable, climate-smart and attractive to the Ghanaian customer.
• Who else was involved in this success? This project was delivered for the benefit of the Tamale Community Cooperative Credit Union, and serves as a demonstration of what can be delivered in the Ghanaian market. Local mortgage providers such as First National Bank, Stanbic and Absa have all expressed a keen interest in this kind of product and the opportunity it represents for engaging with whole new market segments while delivering on climate commitments.

Tom Woodward, Reall’s Climate Lead, said: “Making affordable housing green does not have to be complicated or expensive, and Afreh group’s EDGE-certified project in Northern Ghana is proof of this.

“At Reall we are excited to continue working with Afreh and IFC to help ensure that low-carbon, energy-efficient and resilient affordable housing becomes increasingly accessible, particularly to low-income communities, across West Africa as a whole.”  

Dennis Papa Odenyi Quansah, IFC’s Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana Program Lead for EDGE Green Buildings Market Transformation, said;

“It is the first EDGE-certified project in the northern part of the country. This region is one of the most vulnerable to climate variability and change due to heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture, high poverty levels and increasing environmental degradation, among other factors. So this makes this certified affordable housing project very key for us.” 

Read the Press Release on Ghana News Agency and African Eye Report.