Landlords in Sunyani Accused of Evicting Tenants to Cash in on Mine Workers: “We Were Chased Out"

• A two-bedroom apartment now costs between GH¢2,000 and GH¢3,000 monthly, with landlords demanding two years’ advance payment
• Landlords are reportedly evicting tenants and increasing rent because of mining workers who can afford higher prices
• Activist Raphael Godlove Ahenu describes the situation as a violation of basic human rights and urges government action to enforce rent laws

Access to safe and affordable housing is not a privilege; it is a basic human right. Yet, in Sunyani and parts of the Ahafo Region, that right is slipping away from ordinary residents as rent prices spiral out of control.

A two-bedroom self-contained apartment now costs between GH¢2,000 and GH¢3,000 per month, with most landlords demanding two years’ rent upfront. For many low- and middle-income workers, it’s simply unacceptable.

Rent agent laments soaring rent crisis

Emmanuel Owusu Sekyere, a private rent agent, told YEN.com.gh that the rent situation in Sunyani has worsened dramatically over the past three years.

Read also

First day at work: NSS personnel recounts her first-day experience

According to Emmanuel, currently, a single bedroom with toilet, bath, and kitchen in areas like Tyco City, Berlin Top, Capital Estate, and Alaska costs between GH¢800 and GH¢1,200. Two- and three-bedroom apartments range from GH¢1,800 to GH¢2,500, but self-compound houses can go as high as GH¢3,000 or more.

He explained that landlords are exploiting the influx of mining workers, university students, and nursing trainees to inflate prices, and if you can’t afford it, a Newmont worker will take it without blinking.

For many residents, the rent crisis has become a nightmare. Diana Ataa Manu and her husband, Moses Yaw Manu, former occupants of a three-bedroom apartment near the Ohene Gyan stretch in Sunyani, shared their ordeal.

“One day, our landlady called all seven tenants and gave us two weeks to vacate. Later, we discovered she had rented the whole building to Newmont workers for a three-year advance. We had no choice, so we took our balance and moved out. Now we pay GH¢1,800 for a two-bedroom apartment with just tiles and ceiling fans,” they told YEN.com.gh.

Read also

Ghanaian criticises work culture, calls for part-time roles for jobs paying below GH₵3,000

University students are not spared either. Gladys Addae, a distance-learning student at the University of Ghana’s Sunyani campus, said she struggled for weeks to find a room.

“The cheapest I could get was between GH¢600 and GH¢800 for a single-room self-contained. I eventually settled for a GH¢650 room far from campus, and that was only because the owner agreed to take one year’s advance,” she recounted.

Human Rights activist laments soaring rent crisis

Speaking to YEN.com.gh, renowned human rights activist Raphael Godlove Ahenu condemned the situation, describing it as “a violation of basic human rights.”

According to Raphael Godlove Aheni, houses in Sunyani are more expensive than even some prime areas in Accra or Kumasi. The government must act urgently to regulate rent. This crisis is pushing people into corruption just to afford shelter,” he warned.

Ahenu further called on the Rent Control Department to enforce existing laws that prohibit landlords from arbitrarily increasing rent without proper assessment and approval.

He emphasised that the unchecked rent hikes are worsening inequality, affecting the youth, retired workers, and vulnerable groups who cannot afford decent housing.

Read also

Death becomes a growing business in ageing, lonely South Korea

Efforts by YEN.com.gh to speak with the Bono Regional Rent Manager proved futile, as her phone remained unanswered at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, Sections 10–19 of the Rent Control Law (Act 220 of 1963) clearly prohibit landlords from renting or increasing rent without assessment and approval from the Rent Control Department, a provision often ignored in practice.

Man’s housing cost analysis stirs online reactions

Previously, YEN.com.gh reported that a Ghanaian man sparked reactions online after he analysed the true cost of building a modest home.

He said owning a home in Ghana was no longer realistic, citing a minimum GH₵650k budget, which was indeed outrageous.

The man calculated that even with a GH₵20k monthly salary, saving for a house would have taken years.

Source: YEN.com.gh