Rapid Population Growth

Rapid population growth in developing countries and cities around the world in the last three to four decades has had serious challenges and consequences particularly on urban housing (United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS), 2009). United Nations Habitat in 2009, described this problem as particularly worrying as it constitutes a crucial element that affect the long term outlook of humanity (UNCHS, 2009). Housing is increasingly becoming a scarce commodity in many cities in the developing world because this rapid population growth concentrates in cities. In 2009, it was estimated that, about 100 million people are homeless in the sense that they live in insecure or temporary structures or in squatter settlements (UNCHS, 2009).

As the population of Chorkor increases, most people are without housing and place to sleep. With less accommodation, people at work think of where to sleep which affect their health as they have no better place to rest at night. The housing problem in the area leaves questions as to what measures are being put in place by authorities to improve housing in chorkor

1.3 Research questions

• What are the causes of population growth in Chorkor from 2012-2015?

• What can be done by community leaders to solve accommodation and housing problem at Chorkor?

1.4 Objectives of the Study

1. Examine the causes of population growth at Chorkor from 2012-2015.

2. Suggest measures to help curb the housing problem in Chorkor.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

This section of the research work aims at placing the study in a scholarly context by reviewing the main contributions made by researchers on the issue of population. It unveils some of the global views that scholars have shared particularly on population increase. This seeks to put the problem in its right

Life expectancy at birth was as low as 50 years in 2005. Infant mortality rate was 76 per 1000 live births in 2006, while the maternal mortality ratio has remained unacceptably high at 435 per 100,000 live births (Bowen, 2002).

Ghana's first post-independence population census in 1961 counted about 6.7 million inhabitants. By 1970 the national census registered 8.5 million people, about a 27 percent increase, while due to unchecked immigration a census in 1984 recorded a figure of 12.3 million—almost double the 1960 figure. The continued unchecked immigration saw the nation's population estimated to have increased to about 15 million in 1990 and to an estimated 17.2 million in mid-1994, with an annual growth rate of 2.2 percent for the period between 1965 and 1980, a 3.4 percent growth rate for 1981 through 1989, and a 1992 growth rate of 3.2 percent. The country's population was originally projected to surpass 20 million by the year 2025(Owusa-Ansah,