PHASE: Define
CATEGORY: Economic Dev
LOCATION: Accra, Ghana
HOUSE A MILLION
Africa

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Ghana has a steep deficit of two million housing units. The vast majority of those affected are the low income earners and the emerging middle class. House a Million will strive to bridge this deficit.

Standings & Awards

357 out of 591 in Africa
264 out of 268 in Economic Dev
217 out of 929 in Define
252 out of 555 in For-Profit
1549 out of 4003 Overall

2

VOTES

To provide an opportunity for the average Ghanaian to claim the basic right to housing.

Ghana has a steep deficit of two million housing units. The vast majority of those affected are low income earners and the emerging middle class. This situation has created the phenomenon of family housing where large groups of people, on average ten or more, live together in a single house. This presents the perfect conditions for the transfer of communicable diseases such as Tuberculosis. House a Million will strive to bridge this deficit by providing affordable yet sturdy housing to families on generous terms tailored to suit indivudual financial situations. House a Million is unique in that our business model requires collection of rent at the end of each month. This is in stark contrast to the prevailing conditions in Ghana where land lords ask on average for at least six months of rent in advance as well as numerous loyalty and good will fees. We are purely interested in providing a worthy service without any unncecessary fees. We at House a million believe in building green homes that will stand the test of time. The targeted neighborhood for our pilot houisng project would be a well developed area with access to power, internet, water and phone lines and also would be just fifteen minutes away from the main motorway.

FIVE PROJECT QUESTIONS Required (60 - 90 minutes)

1. What is your innovation? 
House a Million looks at the idea of affordable housing through the eyes of a social entrepreneur. We envision a company that is able to change the lives of people for the better and yet still have a solid turnover.
2. Who gains the most? 
People. Whether it is the university graduate who is just starting out his or her career or the young couple struggling to raise their two kids, they all have one thing in common: The inability to cope with the current property climate in Ghana. We will provide the average Ghanaian and eventually the average African, with decent accommodation at reasonable rates.
3. Who pays? 
Our customers would be the emerging middle income class who are looking for good accommodation at acceptable rates.
4. What is your success? 
Our aim is to tap into the relatively untouched middle income housing market in Ghana. In the short term we hope to build an apartment building with at least 20 apartment units. In the long term we hope to dominate the middle income housing market in Ghana and West Africa.
5. How will you do it? 
We hope to start with a pilot project of 20 apartment units in one building. Following a model self-sufficiency and self-sustainability, we would eventually expand and build further similar apartment units.

Badges & Awards

2013 DSIC Project Participant