Ghana Country Programme

Partners | Challenges | Projects | Initial Results

The Ghana Land, Services and Citizenship (LSC) programme aims to:

> Support national and local policy dialogue to promote sustainable urbanisation, ensure the empowerment of local governments, and reinforce the importance of active community participation.

> Strengthen the capacity of local government to inclusively plan and manage urban growth.

> Empower organisations of the urban poor to actively engage in local development.

> Create a national urban agenda with a particular focus on the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA).

By the Numbers

• Over 50% of Ghanaians live in cities.

• 51% of urban residents live in slums.

• Cities produce 60% of Ghana's national output.

• Accra's population of 4 million will likely double in 5 years.

• There are 11 municipalities in Greater Accra.

Partners

The Government of Ghana is implementing LSC through the Urban Development Unit (UDU) and the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), both under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD).

Local partners include:

> The Ghana Federation of the Urban Poor

> People’s Dialogue

> Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)

These partners are supported by international organisations including:

> Agence Française de Développement (AFD)

> Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

> Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI)

> Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI)

> UN-Habitat

> The World Bank

Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ghana LSC programme is facilitated and supported by Cities Alliance.

Challenges

Today, more than half of Ghana’s population lives in its cities, which produce some 60 percent of the country’s national output. Yet, over the years national development in Ghana has been seen primarily through a rural lens, and growth has effectively outpaced urban planning.

But that is changing, and increasing attention is being paid to urban issues including:

> Ever-expanding formal and informal settlements that have no basic services and that are impacting the city’s sanitation and drainage, making neighbourhoods vulnerable to destructive flooding year in and year out.

> Problems of governance, in which mayors and other local authorities are appointed rather than elected and thus accountable to the central government instead of the people

> A tradition of civil society in Ghana that has left many people—especially the poor—without an understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens and also not being engaged by their governments in the day-to-day management of the cities

> Planning problems, with an under-resourced planning department that lacks capacity to effectively plan for the city and relies on the national government to implement their recommendations.

> Severe traffic congestion that hampers mobility and economic growth, especially in Accra.

Projects

Development of an Inclusive National Urban Agenda

Sustainable Urban Local Government Capacity Buildinga

Preparation for the State of Ghanaian Cities Report

Building the Capacity of the Urban Poor for Inclusive Urban Development

Ghana Urban Voice Radio Program

Development of an Integrated Environmental Sanitation Strategy for Greater Accra

Improving and Expanding Sanitation in Greater Accra Workshop

Initial Results