Alex B. Asiedu

Traders on the run: Activities of street vendors in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana

In recent years the activities of street vendors have become a topical issue within the urban spaces of the developing world. Still, research that explores the geographical dimensions of street vending activities in Ghana is limited. Based on field interviews with street vendors, consumers, shop owners, and metropolitan authorities, a number of findings emerged. First, there were no noticeable socio-economic differences amongst street vendors operating within the study areas. However, noticeable differences in the areas of origin of vendors were observed, with most of them originating from the Eastern, Ashanti and Central Regions of the country. The study also shows a progression amongst trades over time, in terms of the types of goods which the vendors trade in. As may be expected, a shift to higher value items takes place as traders build up capital. Another important finding is that most of the vendors were continuously on the run due to constant harassment, assault and seizure of goods by metropolitan authorities and other users of the city space. To be able to address some of the problems identified, it is suggested that city authorities should adopt consultation rather than confrontational approaches in dealing with street vendors.

An assessment of residents’ housing satisfaction and coping in Accra, Ghana

AimThe present paper is an original research that explores housing satisfaction and residents’ ability to cope with day-to-day demands, taking into account other dimensions of housing and sociodemographic factors.Subjects and methodsA cross-sectional survey (n = 562) was randomly administered to residents in three neighbourhoods (Labone, Asylum Down and Nima) in Accra, Ghana. The association between the outcome variables and housing attributes were analysed using logistic regression.ResultsThe findings indicate that housing satisfaction was significantly predicted by age, with older people more likely to be dissatisfied with their housing arrangement. Respondents were dissatisfied with housing arrangements if they lived in Nima [odds ratio (OR) = 2.75, p < .001], Asylum Down (OR = 1.72, p < .01), crowded households (OR = 1.158, p < .05) or in compound houses (OR = 2.50, p < .001). In the context of housing attribute variables, respondent’s ability to cope with day-to-day demands was significantly associated to their income level. Odour annoyance as an indicator of housing condition emerged as a strong predictor of respondent’s inability to cope with daily demands with OR ranging from 1.68 to 2.33. Those who were dissatisfied with the location of their home as a place to live also reported poor coping abilities (OR = 1.86, p < .01).Discussion and conclusionsFrom the findings, government policy on housing should encourage the construction of more affordable housing units to ease the crowding situation in Accra. There is also a need for the Accra City Council to provide clearer guidelines for both tenants and landlords in response to increasing tenancy disputes in context.

Learning and envisioning under climatic uncertainty: An African experience

Learning about and embracing change and uncertainty are essential for responding to climate change. Creativity, critical reflection, and cogenerative inquiry can enhance adaptive capacity, or the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to adverse future impacts. However, precisely how learning about change and its driving forces occurs and how experiences are combined with envisioned yet indefinite prospects of the future are poorly understood. We present two linked methodological tools—an assessment of drivers of change and participatory scenario building—used in a climate change adaptation project in Ghana and Tanzania (ALCCAR). We discuss opportunities and challenges of such iterative learning. Our findings suggest that joint exploration, diverse storylines, and deliberation help to expand community-based adaptation repertoires and to strike a balance between hopelessness and a tendency to idealize potential future realities.

Conversion of Residential Units to Commercial Spaces in Accra, Ghana: A Policy Dilemma

Over the past three decades, Ghanas economy has been subjected to tremendous macroeconomic reform programmes. The reforms in the national economic system were reflected almost immediately on the urban landscape. One such change is widespread land-use conversion, mainly from residential to commercial spaces. This study examines the major forces driving conversion, processes involved in conversion, conflicts with existing land uses, and their impact on the urban-built environment and the livelihood of actors involved. The study involves 39 in-depth interviews with key informants, with strategic reports and documents used to contextualize interview results. The findings indicate that the conversion of residential to commercial units is widespread, and that it is the result of several factors, including the desire to improve economic opportunities in light of growing uncertainty, the mismatch between demand and supply for retail spaces, infrastructural development and redevelopment, and interest in expanding population and entrepreneurial activities. The conversion process is occurring informally, and many businesses that operate in the converted properties are small scale. Findings indicate planning implications associated with the conversion process and offer suggestions to address them.

The Livelihood Challenges of Resettled Communities of the Bui Dam Project in Ghana and the Role of Chinese Dam-Builders

Emerging issues from Bui hydro-power project are suggesting that the experiences of two earlier hydropower projects in Ghana failed in preventing challenges related to resource access and livelihoods. This paper examined the nature of the challenges, their causes, why they were not avoided and the role of the Chinese builders. Forty-three interviews and eleven focus group discussions were conducted and qualitative data analysed by themes using narrative analysis. Our findings show that the livelihoods of the resettled communities on balance are negatively impacted by the construction of the dam. While Chinese dam-builders played a major role in financing and enabling the dams construction, the Ghanaian governance arrangements were found to be more important in addressing the livelihood challenges.

Some Perspectives on the Migration of Skilled Professionals from Ghana

Abstract: In the last four decades, transnational movements of both skilled and unskilled labor from developing countries to the advanced industrial economies have witnessed an unprecedented growth. Motivated largely by deteriorating livelihood conditions in the developing world and increasing demand for wealthy and highly skilled professionals in the developed economies, these movements have attracted a great deal of research attention and inspired public policy debates on their implications and results. Like other countries, Ghana has had a long history of movement of her nationals to various parts of the world for various reasons. However, in terms of the goal of enhancing the benefits of such emigration for Ghana, there appears to be a policy void. This article contributes to filling this gap. It discusses the merits and problems associated with the transnational movements of Ghanaian health and educational professionals and proposes ways to enhance the benefits. It also suggests pathways for aiding future migration policy formulation in Ghana.

Determinants of home-ownership in Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 99: 81–88, 1999 This paper reports the results of an empirical analysis of homeownership determinants that makes use of household level data from Kumasi, Ghana. Among the variables investigated, permanent income, represented by household expenditure was the most critical factor influencing the probability of owning a home in Kumasi. Other significant, relevant factors, that reflected the studys a priori expectations, included age and mobility level of the household head. The type of occupation as hypothesised in the study was, however, at variance with the study results indicating the continued importance of cocoa farmers in the citys housing market. It is hoped that the results emanating from the study could be extrapolated to other urban settlements with similar characteristics in sub-Saharan Africa.

Resource utilization conflict in downstream non‐resettled communities of the Bui Dam in Ghana

In this study, we examined the downstream social impacts of Ghana’s Bui Dam and identified resource use conflicts in the non‐resettled communities within a 30 km stretch along the course of the Black Volta River below the dam. Through household survey questionnaires and focus group discussions, data were collected from farming and fishing communities in seven downstream non‐resettled communities. Data analysis was guided by the distance decay concept and matrix framework on the social impacts of dams. The results indicate that the construction of the Bui Dam has led to improvements in social infrastructure with positive multiplier effects in a spatially differentiated manner. On the other hand, the influx of migrants and the resultant land and water resource use conflicts have adversely affected farming and fishing, which are the main sources of livelihoods in the communities. Policies to regulate natural resource use around dams were recommended to be considered in dam planning and execution to safeguard the livelihoods of local downstream populations.

Impacts of Ghana’s Bui dam hydroelectricity project on the livelihood of downstream non-resettled communities

Ghana’s socio-economic development, since independence, has been driven by the Akosombo and Kpong dams that provide water (for domestic, agriculture and industrial use) and hydroelectricity. It was hoped that with these past experiences, the Ghana government would be in a better position to manage the livelihood issues of the newly built Bui hydroelectricity dam better. Using a modified political ecology framework, this study examined the implications of the Bui dam project on the livelihoods of the downstream communities, which have received limited scholarly attention. Results from 158 household questionnaire interviews, corroborated by in-depth interviews with relevant stakeholders and focus group discussions indicate a complete lack of compensation package of any form for affected downstream communities. Fishing and farming, the dominant livelihood strategies of the households interviewed, have become unproductive and unsustainable leading to reduced incomes. Additionally, the unregulated activities of small-scale gold miners (galamsey) in the river bed which were made possible after the Bui dam’s construction were cited by most interviewees and focus group discussants for its negative impacts on human and ecological health. In a nutshell, existing livelihoods systems of downstream non-resettled communities post the Bui dam construction have been severely disrupted. Addressing the present challenges facing downstream communities in an integrative and participatory manner should be the top priority of the dam planners and implementers especially the Bui Power Authority and the District Assemblies.