Paul W.K. Yankson

Land Markets in African Cities: The Case of Peri-urban Accra, Ghana

Land markets in African cities are characterised by the co-existence of different modes of supply that originate from the different stages of their development. Customary land tenure remains important in many of these cities, although its future is widely disputed. This paper discusses the implications of the co-existence of customary land tenure and state involvement in the land market in peri-urban Accra, where land is rapidly being converted from agricultural to residential use. The land market is shown to be complex and diverse, characterised by a high level of uncertainty and widespread disputes. The strong sense of cultural identity associated with customary land, and the difficulties of introducing major changes to land markets, however, point towards maintaining a modified form of customary land tenure.

A Neglected Aspect of the Housing Market: The Caretakers of Peri-urban Accra, Ghana

In housing markets in sub-Saharan Africa, construction is predominantly undertaken by individuals rather than by the state or private companies. Due to lack of housing finance, the construction process takes many years hence owners often engage live-in caretakers to protect their property. Based on fieldwork conducted in peri-urban Accra, this paper explores why the demand for caretakers arises, why there is a supply of caretakers, who the caretakers are and their living conditions. Although life as a caretaker is far from ideal, the demand for and supply of caretakers are likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Caretaking is a form of housing tenancy which is overlooked in housing and labour laws and practices, and hence demands more attention from both researchers and policy-makers.

Bounded Entrepreneurial Vitality: The Mixed Embeddedness of Female Entrepreneurship

abstract Despite the recent increased interest in female entrepreneurs, attention has tended to focus on dynamic individuals and generic incentives without considering the roles of gender and place in entrepreneurship. In this article, we draw on the notion of mixed embeddedness to explore how time-and-place–specific institutional contexts influence women’s entrepreneurship. Drawing on primary data collected in Ghana, where exceptionally more women engage in entrepreneurial activities than men, we examine the scale and characteristics of female entrepreneurial activity, exploring the factors that account for this strong participation of women, and examine whether this high entrepreneurial rate is also reflected in their performance and growth aspirations. The findings reveal a disjuncture between, on the one hand, the vibrant entrepreneurial endeavors of Ghanaian women and positive societal attitudes toward female entrepreneurship and, on the other hand, female business activities characterized by vulnerability and relatively low achievement. The article shows how regulatory, normative, and cultural–cognitive institutional forces, which have been transformed over time by local and global processes and their interaction, are concomitantly propelling and impeding women’s entrepreneurial activities. We propose that the study of female entrepreneurs within economic geography could be advanced by analyzing the differing effects of the complex, multiple, and shifting layers of institutional contexts in which they are embedded.

Large-area urban growth observations—a hierarchical kernel approach based on image texture

Abstract Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 105(2):39–47, 2005 A multi-scale classification algorithm based entirely on computation of image texture in moving windows is presented and discussed. The rationale for using kernel-based methods as opposed to segment-based methods for texture-based land cover classification is discussed, as well as, the need for identifying strategies that may limit the effects of the inherent weaknesses of the kernel-based methods. Part of the proposed solution to this problem is to omit the search for an optimum kernel size and rather use different sizes concurrently followed by a weighted summary overlay process based on associated scores. The spatial growth pattern of the city of Accra, Ghana, is assessed over a 17 years period using the algorithm. Land-cover maps showing the extension of the new residential areas on the fringe of Accra are produced from Landsat ETM satellite imagery. These areas constitute the rapidly expanding frontier of urban Accra into its rural surroundings. The classification discriminates between new residential areas that have a distinct urban appearance and areas that are in a transition phase between rural and urban use. Finally, comparisons are made to a previous satellite-based study of land cover changes for the period 1985–1991.

Houses and Residential Neighbourhoods as Work Places in Urban Areas: The Case of Selected Low Income Residential Areas in Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (Gama), Ghana

House-based enterprises (HBEs) as well as small enterprises located in residential neighbourhoods are common to all urban areas of developing countries, especially low-income residential neighbourhoods. In Accra, the capital city of Ghana, there is an increasing use of houses and residential neighbourhoods as places of work. A survey of small-scale production and service-oriented enterprises located in three low income residential areas in Accra examines three issues: space use, growth patterns, and health and environmental effects. The study found that although HBEs derived some advantages from being sited in houses and in residential neighbourhoods, half of the sampled operators would have preferred to locate their business outside the residential neighbourhood in order to attract more customers, overcome the problem of inadequate workspace and to expand their enterprises. Most of the sampled enterprises had no appreciable growth over time. Enterprises had unintended negative health and environmental consequences on the operators, their workers and also on the house and residential environment in general. These effects tended to compound the already serious household environmental conditions in low-income residential neighbourhoods. The paper offers some suggestions to improve the accommodation of HBEs in order to promote business growth and ultimately to reduce the health and environmental impacts.

Gold mining and corporate social responsibility in the Wassa West district, Ghana

Despite a boom in gold mining in Ghanas Wassa West district (WWD), unemployment and poverty have deepened, partly due to loss of farmland to surface mining but more so because of the limited opportunities for wage employment in the districts ‘revived’ gold-mining industry. However, the large-scale mining companies are implementing some alternative livelihood programmes (ALPs) as part of their corporate social-responsibility (CSR) agenda. While the ALPs have provided some employment and income-earning opportunities and skills training, the prospects for their sustainability depend on how the challenges confronting the various programmes are addressed. This will require a well-coordinated approach involving all the key stakeholders.

The environmental impact of rapid urbanization in the peri-urban area of Accra, Ghana

Abstract Like many African cities, Accra has experienced rapid urban growth in recent decades. This paper focuses on the changes taking place in the peri-urban area of Accra where urban development is occurring both within and around the indigenous villages. The impact of rapid urbanization on the physical and residential environment is illustrated and the implications of these changes for environmental management discussed. It is shown how the peri-urban area has been neglected in development plans with severe consequences for the environment. There is a need for a greater awareness of environmental issues and increased coordination between the various actors involved in urban development.

Does FDI Create Linkages in Mining? The Case of Gold Mining in Ghana

After gaining independence from the former colonial powers, most African governments established various kinds of state intervention, including the nationalisation of plants and equipment in the mining sector. This was provoked primarily by disappointing returns from foreign-controlled mining activities to the national economy in terms of employment, fiscal revenues and foreign exchange earnings. The hopes and aspirations of the new administrations were to build local linkages and affirm national sovereignty over natural resources (UNCTAD, 2005). For various internal and external reasons, the record of these interventions was mixed and mostly resulted in high costs and low productivity operations that drained public funds.

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.

Decentralisation and poverty reduction in the Gomoa District of Ghana

This paper examines the effect of decentralisation on poverty reduction in the Gomoa District in the Central Region of Ghana. The perception of various stakeholders of poverty shows clearly the multidimensional nature of poverty. Unemployment and lack of support for income generating activities were considered by respondents as one of the main underlying causes of poverty. The paper also assesses the role of the Gomoa District Assembly, the local government body, in supporting income generating activities in the district. The conclusion reached is that the District Assembly is incapacitated in this respect, and factors accounting for this are discussed