Understanding slums and informal settlements through their own lenses towards making Ghanaian Cities resilient

The document examines the proliferation of slums in Ghana, identifying drivers such as rapid urbanization, poverty, and the failure to implement national housing and environmental policies. Based on research in Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi, it highlights the severe lack of sanitation, healthcare, and secure housing, as well as the negative impacts on children and the environment. It argues that current housing policies are deficient because they ignore the needs of the poor and the role of social networks. The brief recommends against forced evictions, calling instead for slum upgrading, strategic private-sector partnerships for affordable housing, and the integration of slum dwellers' perspectives into urban planning.

• Slums and informal settlements in Ghana are driven by rapid urban population growth through migration and natural increase, combined with a lack of basic infrastructure. Migrants often settle in high-risk areas such as flood-prone zones, swampy areas, and public dump sites.
• The Ghana National Housing Policy is considered deficient because it does not specifically mention slums, fails to account for social norms regarding proximity to family, and contains contradictions between promoting private sector investment and providing affordable social housing for the poor.
• Environmental and climate-related events have directly contributed to slum growth; for example, flooding at Old Fadama and the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in May 2015 forced people into public open spaces along rail lines and the Tema motorway.
• Slums negatively impact the development of children, who often lack access to schools (with some located over 500 meters away) and are exposed to drugs, prostitution, teenage pregnancy, and robbery.
• Living conditions in the studied slums are characterized by extreme poverty, with houses often constructed from wood, plastic sheets, and metal scrap, lacking ceilings, toilets, and bathrooms.
• Slums contribute to significant environmental pollution in cities, particularly through the burning of electronic waste by youth, open defecation, and the haphazard dumping of solid and liquid waste.
• Existing urban and environmental policies, including the National Climate Change Policy and the Ghana National Urban Policy, are not effectively implemented, which hinders the reduction of slum development.
• The document recommends that city authorities avoid forced evictions and instead focus on upgrading existing slums with water, roads, and health facilities, while forming strategic partnerships with the private sector to provide affordable housing.

APA

Good Governance Africa (2018). Understanding slums and informal settlements through their own lenses towards making Ghanaian Cities resilient. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2020/05/POLICY-BRIEF-Slums-Informal-Settlements-18.12.185.pdf

Chicago

Good Governance Africa. Understanding slums and informal settlements through their own lenses towards making Ghanaian Cities resilient. 2018. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2020/05/POLICY-BRIEF-Slums-Informal-Settlements-18.12.185.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Good Governance Africa |title=Understanding slums and informal settlements through their own lenses towards making Ghanaian Cities resilient |date=October 2018 |url=https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2020/05/POLICY-BRIEF-Slums-Informal-Settlements-18.12.185.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goodgovernanceafrica2018understanding, author = {{Good Governance Africa}}, title = {{Understanding slums and informal settlements through their own lenses towards making Ghanaian Cities resilient}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2020/05/POLICY-BRIEF-Slums-Informal-Settlements-18.12.185.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }