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

This policy brief examines the drivers and impacts of slums and informal settlements in Ghana, specifically within the Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi metropolitan areas. It argues that current urban governance and housing policies are deficient, failing to incorporate the perspectives of slum dwellers or effectively implement existing laws, which undermines the goal of creating resilient cities.

• Slums and informal settlements in Ghana are driven by rapid urbanization, migration, and economic pressures. Migrants often settle in hazardous areas like flood-prone zones or public dump sites due to a lack of affordable housing. Economic drivers include the search for jobs and the pull of the informal economy, where low costs of living—such as not paying for water or electricity—make these areas attractive to the poor.
• The Ghana National Housing Policy is described as deficient because it does not specifically mention slums and contains contradictory objectives. It promotes private sector participation and investment for rental purposes, which the document claims conflicts with the goal of making housing accessible to the poor, as private developers lack incentives to provide affordable options.
• Existing urban and environmental policies are not effectively implemented, and previous government housing initiatives—such as loan schemes and the subsidization of state agencies like the State Housing Company Limited—were not carried out. Additionally, the privatization of housing under structural adjustment programs further excluded low-income residents from decent housing.
• Slums negatively impact the socio-economic development of residents and the broader city environment. Children face limited access to education, with some schools located over 500 meters away, and are exposed to drugs and crime. Environmental degradation is severe, characterized by the burning of electronic waste, open defecation, and the use of scrap materials for building, which mars the city's aesthetic quality.
• Sanitation and health conditions in the studied slums are critical. Residents report 'inhuman' sanitation, characterized by choked gutters, strong stenches, and a lack of proper drainage, leading to outbreaks of cholera and typhoid. In the rainy season, residents frequently contract foot rot due to damp floors in homes made of wood, plastic, and metal scrap.
• The document recommends several policy interventions to make Ghanaian cities resilient, including the enforcement of land use and spatial planning laws, the upgrading of existing slums with basic infrastructure (water, roads, and drains), and the avoidance of forced evictions. It also suggests a strategic partnership where the government rents private sector housing on behalf of low-income residents to ensure affordability.

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} }