Human settlements and socio-economic development
The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the fact that various governments in Ghana have recognised that human settlements are production, marketing and service centres, and that economic prosperity depends on their performance.
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Human settlement is defined as “The totality of the human community – whether city, town or village – with all the social, material, organisational and cultural elements that sustains it.” HABITAT I, Vancouver Declarations (1976).
The writer defines human settlement as a distinct man-made environment, nucleated or scattered, ranging from a small locality to a village, town or city that performs, economic, social, institutional among other functions.
Ghana was ahead in 1963
In the area of human settlements and economic development Ghana was ahead –
• Thirty-six years before the Royal Town Planning Institute’s Task Group promoted, in June 1999, a case for a National Spatial Planning Framework for the United Kingdom!
• Thirty years before the UNCHS stated in its “Global Report on Human Settlements” (1986. page 211), that “Development strategies are in crisis because they have sought to build development around a narrow concept of economic growth, with progress clumsily expressed in terms of GNP per capita. The new concept of development that is urgently called for has human settlements as one of its central elements.”
• Thirteen years before HABITAT I (Vancouver, Canada, 1976) dealt with human settlements policies and spatial planning strategies as instruments and objects of development.
• Six years before Jane Jacobs argued in her book, “The Economy of Cities” (1969), that “A national economy is the sum of a nation’s city economies and the past and current secondary effects of city economies upon the economies of towns, villages, countrysides and wilderness.”
Reflection, but no action
To date, eight plans or policies have been formulated by past governments, but they have not been implemented either because of changes in government or lack of political will. As can be seen from the record below.
The first attempt was in 1963 under President Nkrumah’s CPP Government which identified the need for a spatial framework for synthesising social, economic and physical planning objectives. The Town and Country Planning Department prepared a “National Physical Development Plan” to complement the first Seven-Year National Development Plan. After the overthrow of President Nkrumah, the NLC ignored both plans.
The second attempt was in 1985 under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) Government. The Government, with the assistance of UNDP/UN-HABITAT prepared a full “Project Document for The Formulation of a “National Physical Development Plan,” but the proposed project was not initiated because funds could not be made available.
The third attempt was in 1995 under President Rawlings’ National Democratic congress (NDC) Government. The government prepared a “National Plan of Action on Human Settlements.” The Plan was not implemented.
The fourth attempt was in 1997 under President Rawlings’ NDC Government, which identified that “Human settlements, acting as catalysts for social, economic and cultural change are the ingredients essential for the transformation of the national economy and society.” The National Development Planning Commission prepared “The First Medium-Term Development Plan (1997-2000) Under Ghana-Vision 2020.” It included, inter alia, a recommendation for the preparation of a National Spatial Development Framework, as a complement to the Medium Term Development Plan. No action was taken.
The fifth attempt was in 2002 under President Kufuor’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government. It was realised that three ministries and the National Development Planning Commission had overlapping statutory mandates to formulate national spatial strategies. An organisational framework for synergy was formulated and signed by the late Kwadwo Baah Wiredu, Minister, MLGRD; Prof. Dominic K. Fobih, Minister, MEST; and Mr Kwamena Bartels, Minister, Works and Housing . No action was taken because of the devious action of an individual public servant.
The sixth attempt was in 2008 under President Kufuor’s NPP Government. The National Development Planning Commission prepared a “Draft Seven-Year Development Plan (2008-2015),” which, among other things, had an objective of “promoting the orderly development of human settlements in order to support rapid socio-economic transformation of the country.” The Plan was not implemented.
The seventh attempt was in 2010 under President Mills’ NDC Government. The Town and Country Planning Department produced a document entitled “Human Settlements and Land Use Policy and Planning in Ghana: A Policy Study.” This document addressed the need for “a new comprehensive National Spatial Development Strategy.” This is yet to be formulated.
The eighth and latest attempt was in 2011 under President Mills’ NDC Government: With GIZ assistance, a “National Urban Policy” (NUP) was formulated by the MLGRD. One of the actions recommended in the document is the preparation of a National Spatial Development Framework. The NUP was published in 2012 and launched by former President John Mahama.
Conclusion
The writer was involved, as a consultant, in five of the eight actions listed above, and laments the fact that the nation appears to have been taking one step forward and one step backward. There is a serious challenge in moving from reflection to action in the area of human settlements as elements in economic development.
There is still a need for (a) political will to prepare and implement a national spatial development framework, or a national physical development plan as suggested by previous Governments – PNDC, NDC, and NPP; (b) synergy, to resolve the problem of overlapping statutory mandates in the formulation of a national spatial strategy; and (c) the strengthening of the Town and Country Planning Department, which deals with the planning of human settlements, and the spatial aspects of economic and social development.
The writer was formerly
Asst Chief Town Planning Officer,
G of G; and a Principal Planner,
Metro Toronto Planning Board, Canada.
He is a retired Senior Adviser,
UN-HABITAT