LUSPA Chief Pins Ghana's Building Collapse Crisis on Weak MMDA Enforcement

Ghana's recurring building collapse disasters are rooted in the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies' (MMDAs) poor enforcement of building regulations, according to Dr. Kwadwo Yeboah, Chief Executive Officer of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA).

The LUSPA boss has attributed the pattern of structural failures sweeping across the country to the lack of rigorous oversight and compliance mechanisms at the local assembly level. Without consistent monitoring and penalties for non-compliance, developers continue to cut corners on safety standards and construction quality, he argues.

Dr. Yeboah's statement underscores a critical gap in Ghana's building safety infrastructure. While national regulations exist, their practical implementation depends heavily on MMDAs enforcing them within their jurisdictions—a responsibility many assemblies have struggled to fulfil due to resource constraints, capacity challenges, and competing priorities.

The issue has become increasingly urgent as Ghanaians grapple with the human and economic toll of preventable structural disasters, particularly in densely populated urban centres where informal construction practices remain widespread.