Browsing by Author "Somiah, Matthew Kwaw"

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    Factors that account for construction of unauthorized buildings in Ghana
    (2015-02-20) Somiah, Matthew Kwaw
    Construction of unauthorized buildings has become a major problem in towns and cities of most developing countries. Despite numerous efforts at local levels to address this problem, its existence and effects keep on rising in various metropolis, municipalities and districts in Ghana. This research explores the causes of unauthorized buildings in Asakae, a suburb of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and identifies strategies to curb them. A sample size of 234 respondents, comprising (182) house-owners, (50) Assembly-members, (1) head of physical planning department and (1) head of works department from the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) was chosen for the study.Questionnaire and personal observation were employed to collect the primary data. Data generated from the survey was further analyzed, using factor analysis technique, relative importance index, one-sample t-test and descriptive statistics (percentages and frequencies). The findings of the survey indicated that Institutional, Physical, Educational and Socio-economic factors account for construction of unauthorized buildings in Asakae. The findings further revealed that, imposition of high penalties on culprits by the local authority, automating of permit acquisition, monitoring and detection of unauthorized building operations are amongst the measures which could be instituted to address such a problem. It is recommended that there should be regular public education on building regulations of Ghana. More so, the assembly should automate their operations, with respect to permit acquisition and monitoring of buildings under construction, to avoid bureaucracy and corruption that has characterized their operations. Keywords: Factors, Unauthorized buildings, Building regulations, Construction, Account.