An approach to urban management in Ghana: a case study of Accra, Kumasi, and Tema Metropolitan Areas

Cities are important to nation’s development process. If managed efficiently, they serve as centres for the creation of wealth, the location for and supporters of employment generating activities, the agents of social change necessary for developing countries to move into the mainstream of international commerce and politics. Most Cities in Ghana, however, appear to have been mismanaged to date Actual physical development hardly correlates with plans prepared to guide the growth of these cities. Besides, the necessary infrastructural facilities and services to allow the cities to function nave not been given due attention. Since the late 1980s, the Government of Ghana, in conjunction with other international agencies such as the World Bank, UNDP and UNCHS (HABITAT), has made pragmatic efforts in maintaining and improving upon infrastructural facilities and services of selected cities. This is manifested in the various phases of on-going development urban projects. In spite of all these efforts, the cities are performing fair below expectation. For instance, conflicting land uses and encroachment on various planned land uses are common occurrences. The need for an approach to manage urban growth in Ghana therefore becomes imminent. In the light of this, the study sought to identify problems of development administration affecting effective and systematic control of development in urban areas and recommend how the current or evolving local government system can be made more responsive to ensure effective control of physical development within Ghanaian Cities. Three settlements - Accra, Kumasi and Tema - were chosen for the study. Based on the style of management, Tema was classified on one hand as a single (or unified) agency whilst, Accra and Kumasi, on the other, were classified as non-unified agency. The essence was to facilitate comparison of data collected and to help identify key issues that would constitute the basis for recommendations. The results of the comparative analysis revealed that, Planning and Development control is more effective in Tema than in Accra and Kumasi. This was mainly due to differences in land control and administration, legal and institutional arrangements; among others. Consequently, recommendations were made within the framework of flexible-participatory approach to improve upon urban management in these settlements. They include: (a) Capacity Building for effective physical planning and development; (b) Integration of Development and Building Permits application; (c) Land Rationalization and Development Policy such as mass acquisition of urban lands by Government and also joint partnership arrangement between traditional authorities and local government authorities (d) Establishment of urban Land Development revolution Fund; e) Public participation and education in planning (f) Improvement in record keeping, manpower training and logistics; and (g) Increasing privatization of Metropolitan and Municipal services and utilities. It is hoped that, when these recommendations are implemented, urban management will become more effective, leading to optimal performance of their roles in the socioeconomic development of the nation.

Source: KNUST