Government has taken a major step toward improving the living conditions of teachers with the allocation of GH₵500 million in the 2026 Budget to kick-start a nationwide Teachers’ Housing Scheme, popularly called the Teacher Dabre Project.
President John Dramani Mahama announced the funding at the opening of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) 54th National Delegates Congress and Seventh Quadrennial Conference in Accra, describing the initiative as a cornerstone of his administration’s broader education and human capital agenda. He indicated that the programme would be expanded to GH₵1 billion in the 2027 Budget.
The housing scheme, a partnership between Government, GNAT and Republic Bank, will operate through a revolving housing fund into which the initial GH₵500 million will be paid this year, alongside contributions from the project’s partners. Teachers will be able to apply for homes to be built in locations of their choice, with rent payments structured to count toward eventual ownership.
According to President Mahama, the model is designed to ensure that teachers, particularly those posted to underserved communities, can retire with homes of their own. Where a teacher’s accommodation aligns with their duty station, monthly rent deductions will gradually translate into full ownership of the property.
To support implementation, Government is engaging with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to secure suitable lands for the project across the country. The President said the intervention would improve teachers’ living standards, boost morale and help retain educators in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
Beyond housing, President Mahama outlined a series of complementary measures aimed at strengthening the teaching profession. These include the payment of teacher training allowances captured in the 2025 Budget, the restoration of promotion eligibility up to director level, and the regrading of more than 30,000 diploma teachers who upgraded to degree status onto the appropriate salary scales. He also disclosed that modalities were being finalised for a 20 per cent base pay incentive for teachers serving in deprived areas.
Commending GNAT, the President described the union as one of the country’s most progressive, citing the Teachers Fund as a model of transparency and long-term value creation. He acknowledged veteran economist Mr Kwame Pianim as the founding force behind the fund and praised GNAT’s strategic investments, including Aviance Ghana, hostels, its national headquarters complex and the Ghana-Sweden Medical Centre.
He further encouraged the union to leverage the Ghana Medical Trust Fund to address non-communicable diseases such as cancer among teachers.
In his remarks, GNAT National President, Reverend Isaac Owusu, took a firm stance against violence toward educators, declaring 2026 a year of zero tolerance for attacks on teachers, as the union intensifies advocacy for their safety and dignity.
