Nana Romeo, host of Ekwanso Dwoodwoo on Okay FM, has made a passionate plea to President John Dramani Mahama to urgently address the crippling rent burden facing Ghanaians. The appeal, made on Friday, March 13, 2026, came on the heels of his commendation of the President for reducing water and electricity tariffs — a relief measure set to take effect on April 1, 2026.
At the heart of Romeo’s appeal is a longstanding and widespread problem: landlords routinely demanding one to two years or more in advance rent, flouting laws that have been on the books for decades.
Ghana’s Rent Act 1963 (Act 220), under Section 25(5), explicitly prohibits landlords from demanding more than six months’ advance rent — and in some tenancy arrangements, the limit is even lower. Breaching this law is a criminal offence, carrying potential penalties of fines or imprisonment. Yet enforcement has remained frustratingly weak, particularly in urban centres like Accra, where tenants routinely buckle under financial pressure rather than risk losing a roof over their heads.
The Mahama administration has shown signs of taking the issue seriously. Acting Rent Commissioner Frederick Opoku has publicly reaffirmed the six-month advance limit and warned landlords that exceeding it is illegal, with violators risking up to six months in prison.
Complementing this, a mandatory Rent Card system is set to launch on April 1, 2026 — the same date as the utility tariff reductions — designed to formally record rental payments, improve transparency, and support compliance tracking. A national Rent Taskforce has also been established to bolster enforcement, while Parliament is reportedly considering new legislation to tighten regulations further.
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These are promising steps, but Nana Romeo’s appeal reflects a broader public sentiment that words and policies alone are not enough — implementation must match intention. For many Ghanaians, excessive advance rent demands eat into savings, limit mobility, and compound the everyday financial strain of urban living.
The government’s decisive action on utility relief has demonstrated a willingness to respond to public pressure, and many are hopeful that the same energy will be brought to bear on rent reform.
If Romeo’s appeal resonates, it could provide the push needed to accelerate enforcement and bring real, lasting relief to struggling tenants across the country.