Ills of Accra

Accra was founded in the latter part of the 17th century by the Ga people (UN Habitat 2009).

The city covers a surface area of 173 km2 and the metropolitan area covers 894 square kilometres . On the eve of Independence in 1957, the population of Accra was only 190,000 , and in 2009, the estimated population was a little over 2.1 million . Around 2008, population projections envisaged a city of four million people by 2020. With an annual growth rate of 4.3 per cent , the land area has become overburdened with urban ills (UN Habitat 2009). An illusion of economic opportunities has lured many folks from all over Ghana into Accra, leading to high population increase, coupled with a scramble for the limited and inadequate services available. 

In recent years, increased sprawling has been accompanied with many ills that threaten its future. Presently, choked drains, indiscriminate waste disposal, open defecation, to name but a few, characterise the sanitation situation in Accra. The weak structure of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and political interference in the enforcement of laws has made unplanned settlements in the urban periphery of Accra the norm (UN Habitat 2009). For instance, communities such as Adentan and McCarthy Hill had large areas of their land developed with draft planning schemes.

 Before the finalised development plans in these areas, development had far advanced. Ineffective planning laws have resulted in disorderly developments in most parts of the city. The most worrisome has been development in flood-prone areas and in major drainage ways, in neighbourhoods such as Dzorwulu, Alajo and East Airport. Areas reserved for open space and future roads have also not been spared. At the heart of the issue is the contribution of wealthy and influential citizens who built without land titles and planning permission . There is also a greedy desire to use every bit of land available in Accra and this has led to an absence of urban parks and cool islands .

It is a known fact that the more sprawling experienced by a city leads to a high percentage of the family budget going into automobile use or transport. Provision of essential services to sprawling areas has also become costly and difficult . Accra needs to be given a semblance of order in its development as it is now firmly under the grips of urbanisation.  Middle and lower-income people find it increasingly difficult to find accommodation since houses on the market are extremely expensive. This has resulted in an increase in substandard housing and congestion in many parts of Accra. A very effective cure for urban congestion is to  connect industrial and business zones to residential areas such that a large part of their personnel can either walk, cycle to work or use a public bus; or take a railroad train.  Yet, zoning and building codes are not strictly enforced in Accra to maintain an orderly character and ambiance. Undoing the layers of urban ills requires bold political decisions. The form of a city has a bearing on the form of its social order, and to remould one, it is necessary to introduce appropriate changes in the order, something Accra desperately needs .

 Indiscriminate waste disposal is a big challenge in Accra

I am not as optimistic as other urban planners who feel that with time, Accra will purge itself of all its ills. The situation in Accra is bound to get worse if no conscious effort is made to undo the mistakes of the past. The best urban planners can do is to develop excellent comprehensive plans but the real development of cities falls within the ambit of a lot more professionals. Again, political will is required to bring sanity to the city but with successive governments deeply concerned with winning the next general election, the right measures are never taken. I am, however, particularly excited about the new government’s focus on inner cities and Zongos because urban regeneration and slum upgrading will go a long way to tackle the decay in most parts of Accra.