Ghana’s rapid urbanization, population growth, and climate change pose urban management challenges. Cities like Accra and Kumasi contend with urban sprawl, inefficient land use, and environmental pollution. This pollution results from human and natural activities, and poor waste management, particularly concerning plastics. To build resilient cities, Ghana’s policymakers must decentralize urban planning decisions, encourage private sector investment in green solutions, and promote collaboration among landowners, local authorities, and communities.
Research finds that countries that experienced accelerated economic growth simultaneously experienced accelerated urbanization. Urbanization and economic growth are correlated such that experts often use urbanization to estimate a country’s income level. As Ghana works toward economic growth, policymakers must implement strategies to build sustainable urban development. The strategies could include empowering local planning authorities to enforce urban development regulations, encouraging private investment in sustainable infrastructure, and ensuring community involvement in land use decisions. These strategies will also help Ghana to build resilient, inclusive, and economically viable cities.
Two major issues affecting sustainable urban development are the nonenforcement of urban planning regulations and ineffective decentralization. Empowering district planning authorities can help curb uncontrolled urban expansion. Transparent property rights and streamlined land administration will ensure orderly development while facilitating climate resilience.
Decentralization will work properly if local governments have the authority and capacity to manage local communities. With proper training, data gathering, and technological adoptions, local authorities can plan cities well and protect the environment. For example, GIZ Ghana is training local Ghanaian officials to use tools like GIS and Google Earth Engine to map schools, clinics, and climate risk zones. This training also strengthens the capacity of municipalities for data-driven and climate-resilient planning. Additionally, the training equips planners to make informed decisions in the upcoming 2026–2029 district development plans, supporting smarter and more resilient urban growth.
Private businesses can help to make Ghanaian cities better places to live. Policymakers should support private businesses by eliminating complicated rules and unnecessary restrictions, such as making it easier to get building permits. Tax breaks for companies that use solar power or build energy-saving homes can also encourage better building practices.
In addition, banks can also offer affordable loans to support these kinds of projects, making it easier for more people to improve their homes and communities without depending entirely on government funding. An example is Optima Solar Systems & Letshego Savings and Loans, empowering Ghanaian businesses with green loans to cut costs and ensure a reliable energy supply.
To plan Ghanaian cities better, all stakeholders, like landowners, traditional leaders, and city planners, must work together.
The active involvement of local communities can lead to more successful implementation of policies that will ensure urban growth benefits every stakeholder. For instance, in Wa, a rapidly urbanizing area in the Upper West Region, research showed that involving traditional leaders in land management helped to reduce land disputes and aligned development with community needs. This participatory approach not only fosters resilience but also promotes inclusive urban development.
Ghana can create climate-resilient cities that balance economic expansion with environmental protection. Sustainable urbanization is not ideal, but a necessity to secure a livable future for future generations. Policymakers must act decisively to implement reforms that will redefine the country’s urban landscape, ensuring that Ghana’s cities remain thriving hubs of opportunity and sustainability.
Irene Ofori-Agyeman is a writing fellow at African Liberty.
Article first appeared on GhanaWeb.
Photo by annedavid via Iwara.