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Mr Alhbadan publishes the report on slum development and informal settlements. Image: EDNA ADU-SERWAA
The President of the Institute of Urban Planners of Ghana, Alfred Kwesi Opoku, called for the strict implementation of laws and policies on housing in slums.
He added that while a number of existing policies may have helped to prevent the creation of slums, the lack of effective implementation over the years has contributed to the increase in the number of slums. slum dwellers in cities.
Mr. Opoku spoke at the launch of a research report on "Slum Development and Informal Settlements to Make Cities in Ghana Resilient" in Accra.
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The research sought to go beyond theoretical and general studies to gain an in-depth understanding of slums and informal neighborhoods from the point of view of the residents of these neighborhoods in the Ghanaian context, where the building of resilient cities seems to elude policymakers. governance and housing.
Mr Opoku said that, despite the many past and ongoing interventions to provide housing for low-income people and improve slums in the country, concerted efforts to effectively coordinate all interventions were insufficient.
Donor agencies
He lamented that a number of donor agencies such as the Department of International Development (DFID), the World Bank and others work in isolation without any coordination with the many interventions.
For her part, Dr. Kwadwo Ohene Sarfoh, a practitioner of housing and urban development, said that slums were the first step in urban migration and that all that migrants found there was better than their place of origin. .
He added that although Ghana wanted to plan cities, it did not have what it took to make this dream come true and urged the government to examine people living in slums rather than their structures. .
He said that slums were not a problem to be solved but a human reality and that it was therefore necessary for the government to find ways to make their lives enjoyable.
Stakeholders
Ms. Rose Awudjah, a member of Ghana's Federation of the Urban Poor, said it was important for stakeholders to include slum dwellers in all interventions that affect them because they lived in the field and were better informed than the local people. foreigners.
She added that social life in shanty towns has a negative impact on children's development, as the majority of them do not go to school and are exposed to drugs, child prostitution , theft and early pregnancy.
According to her, sanitation in the slums was extremely poor, resulting in epidemics such as cholera and typhoid, regular flooding of the area and inadequate ventilation, as well as excessive heat affecting the health of the population and undermining security. .
Slum dwellers
Professor Ronald Adamptey, a lecturer in the planning department of KNUST, said that the shortcomings in the design and implementation of urban housing policy were one of the main challenges faced by the inhabitants. slums.
He added that housing policy was contradicted because it did not take into account family and friends, because most of the time most people would settle in places and then allow others to stay. to join them.
He added that slum dwellers were not planning to return permanently and that it was therefore necessary to provide them with basic necessities such as water, hospitals, schools and sanitary facilities, among other things. other.
Dr Adamptey said that municipal authorities should not carry out forced evictions as it was not an option, but rather work with all stakeholders to provide social amenities to slum dwellers.
Context
Slums are unapproved settlements characterized by overcrowding, substandard housing, inadequate access to clean water, sanitation and lack of socio-economic infrastructure such as schools, hospitals , streets and public places.
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