Policy Initiatives on Urban Metabolism in Ghana (2002-2021)

Abstract

The Government of Ghana has a major role to play in responding effec-tively to the problems and challenges resulting from poor urban planning and urban metabolism. This has indeed become urgent in the face of the current rate of urbaniza-tion in Ghana. The 2021 population census confirms that the population of Ghanaians living in urban areas and big towns is about 57.35%. In 2019, it was 56.71%; whereas in 2018, 2017, and 2016 were, respectively, 56.06%, 55.41%, and 54.75%. This has implications for urban planning and urban metabolism, for which the government has the responsibility to initiate policies to enhance sustainability particularly in the management of urban waste and other related matters. Some policies initiated by the government in 2002 have attempted to provide plans that will sustainably respond to the growing social, economic, and environmental challenges associated with urban-ization. For example, the National Housing Policy is dedicated to encouraging and supporting community initiatives that equip residents to be economically empow-ered, develop and protect the environment, and engender social equity. This chapter attempts to examine some of these policies and make proposals that may enhance the social, economic, and environmental forces that affect urban metabolism in Ghana. In all, eight policies that deal with issues bordering on housing, dangerous and e-waste control and management, landfill, management of healthcare waste, and urban development and planning were reviewed to identify their potential implications on the factors affecting urban metabolism in the country. The functionality of municipal systems in Ghana and many developing economies is weak with limited capacity and autonomy in all the key pillars of sustainable development. This chapter however illustrates attempts being made by the Government of Ghana through policy initia-tives that attempt to address these problems and enhance urban metabolism. The policies clearly consider cities in Ghana as organisms with different parts: housing, infrastructure and services, institutions, living environment, and people and that each part should be regulated and managed to ensure the effective functionality of the whole system. � The Author(s).