Investor Snapshot
- >80% of Africa’s required 2050 urban infrastructure is yet to be built (IFC).
- In Accra, green-certified buildings are projected to exceed 20% of total floor space by 2025.
- EDGE dominates Ghana’s certifications, with LEED and GBCSA present in landmark projects.
- Ghana ranks 3rd in Africa for EDGE certifications (JLL, 2024).
- Institutional anchors: World Bank, Google, Standard Chartered, Ecobank, Access Bank, West Hills Mall.
- Sectors: Offices, retail, logistics and hotels dominate; healthcare and single-family still
Green buildings are becoming a quality marker for tenants, lenders, and investors looking for assets that combine operational efficiency, resilience, and ESG credibility. Notwithstanding, projections indicate that over 80% of the urban infrastructure Africa will require by 2050 is yet to be developed. This reality presents a massive development mandate, and an unprecedented opportunity to realign the future of African cities into cities that are resilient, resource-efficient, and inclusive.
The Rise of Green Buildings
In Ghana, Green buildings are gradually moving from the margins to the mainstream. No longer a luxury or an afterthought. Green buildings are steadily gaining traction in driving asset performance, boosting investor confidence, and future-proofing urban systems. Like many African countries, Ghana’s urban growth is accelerating rapidly, integrating sustainability into the built environment has become an imperative. Nonetheless, there remain room for exploring more than technical solutions; it calls for coordinated action. Policymakers, developers, financiers, and communities must work in lockstep to deliver a form of urbanisation that protects both economic interests and environmental integrity.
The Impact of Urbanisation
Africa is urbanising late, but at a pace unmatched anywhere else in the world. By 2050, the continent’s urban population is expected to double, placing cities like Accra, Lagos, and Nairobi under tremendous strain. Though this growth promises significant economic benefits, it also threatens to entrench patterns of environmental degradation. Ghana’s capital, Accra, illustrates this tension clearly facing rapid population growth, weak enforcement of land use plans, and increasing exposure to climate-related risks such as flooding and extreme heat. Left unmanaged, these pressures could undermine the very prosperity that urbanisation seeks to deliver.
As cities expand, the role of natural ecosystems becomes more critical, not as passive landscapes, but as vital urban infrastructure. Wetlands, forests, and green belts provide essential services: they absorb floodwaters, moderate temperatures, filter air, and reduce the costs of infrastructure and basic service provision. Cities that safeguard and integrate these natural assets are more resilient to shocks, more liveable for residents, and more attractive to long-term capital. Ignoring them, by contrast, leads to escalating economic, social and environmental costs.
Buildings and Emissions
In 2018, buildings accounted for 61% of Africa’s total final energy consumption and 32% of process-related CO₂ emissions. Without a decisive shift toward energy-efficient construction, low-carbon materials, and renewable energy systems, urban expansion, especially in fast-growing cities like Accra, risks locking in a future of high emissions, inefficient buildings, and rising climate vulnerability.
Penetration in the Ghanaian Real Estate Market
Encouragingly, change is already underway. In Accra, developers are increasingly embracing green building standards as a new norm rather than a niche. What once appeared as a premium feature is now seen as a critical marker of quality, resilience, and competitiveness. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) projects that green-certified buildings will make up just over 20% of Accra’s total building floor space by the end of 2025. In a city confronting serious housing shortages, infrastructure constraints, and environmental risks, this shift signals a meaningful step towards more balanced, sustainable urban growth. By 2025, offices, warehousing, hotels, and apartments are expected to dominate green real estate, with healthcare and single-family residential developments expected to contribute just 2% (IFC, 2021). This sharp disparity highlights where sustainable investment is flowing and where it is not. The figures call for a rethink of legal and planning frameworks to drive green uptake across all sectors, not just the most commercially active. For real estate law, this means pushing for clearer building codes, stronger green compliance mechanisms, and incentives that encourage sustainability in underperforming segments.
Source: IFC, 2021
According to JLL (2024), Ghana ranks third in Africa for EDGE certifications, after South Africa and Kenya.
Source: JLL, 2024
Green Certification in Ghana
Green building certification is increasingly taking hold in Ghana’s real estate sector. As of 2025, the country has recorded over 20 EDGE-certified properties, with West Hills Mall becoming the most recent in July. Other notable certified developments include the Ecobank Head Office, PwC Tower, World Bank Office in Accra, and Ghana Infectious Disease Center. LEED and Green Star certifications have also made inroads, with Ridge Hospital and Google Ghana Office earning LEED, and One Airport Square holding a Green Star rating. While the bulk of certifications are concentrated in commercial and institutional buildings, this trend marks a broader shift: developers and investors are beginning to view sustainability as a core component of long-term real estate value.
Table 1: Certification Table
| Year | Building Name | Certification |
| 2016 | Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital) | LEED |
| 2018 | MBU at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital | EDGE |
| 2018 | Takoradi Mall | EDGE |
| 2018 | Atlantic Tower | EDGE |
| 2019 | Tema Port – Terminal Three | EDGE |
| 2019 | World Bank Group Office in Accra | EDGE |
| 2019 | Cal Bank Head Office Tower | EDGE |
| 2020 | Ghana Infectious Disease Center | EDGE |
| 2021 | Rehoboth Palm | EDGE |
| 2021 | Rehoboth Knightsbridge | EDGE |
| 2021 | PwC Tower | EDGE |
| 2021 | Lahagu Housing Project | EDGE |
| 2022 | Crown Forest Safari and Hotel | EDGE |
| 2022 | The Genesis Residences | EDGE |
| 2022 | Earlbeam One Place | EDGE |
| 2022 | Standard Chartered Bank Building | EDGE |
| 2022 | Google Office Ghana | LEED |
| 2023 | Ecobank Ghana Head Office | EDGE |
| 2024 | LMI Holdings Mega Warehouse | EDGE |
| 2024 | Melcom, Spintex | EDGE |
| 2024 | Melcom, Boundary Road | EDGE |
| 2025 | Access Bank Ghana PLC Head Office | EDGE |
| 2025 | The Greens Ghana | EDGE |
| 2025 | West Hills Mall | EDGE |
| – | One Airport Square | GBCSA |
Table 2: Certification by Year and Type
| Year | EDGE | LEED | GBCSA | Total |
| 2016 | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| 2018 | 3 | – | – | 3 |
| 2019 | 3 | – | – | 3 |
| 2020 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| 2021 | 4 | – | – | 4 |
| 2022 | 4 | 1 | – | 5 |
| 2023 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| 2024 | 3 | – | – | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | – | – | 3 |
| – | – | – | – | 1 |
The growing list of green building certification in Ghana is a positive indication that the shift toward sustainable real estate is underway, even if modestly so. Sustainability and commercial viability go hand in hand. The journey is far from over, but the direction is promising.