A Research On Slum And Slum Upgrading In Nima And Old Fadama,Accra,Ghana

Urbanization in developing countries has become the new trend of challenges that the global south is confronted with as resources and social infrastructures cannot match up the unprecedented rate of growth.Urbanization is partly blamed on rural-urban migration,spatial inequality and natural population growth.Albeit,urbanization gives a new dimension of local growth,as it gradually via off agrarian bedrock to a more sophisticated technology,the consequences of unplanned urbanization cannot be overemphasized.The world cities are slowly metamorphosing into mega and sophisticated urban areas,hence drawing almost all the abled bodies from the rural areas.Cities will continue to grow as long as it meets the needs of poor rural migrants.It is not out of line to say that migrants imagine a flamboyant life in the city and the opportunities burgeoning before being on a voyage,therefore drift without pondering twice on what awaits them.As poor rural migrants get into cities,they most commonly are unable to afford the high cost of rent,therefore find solace in slum.The proliferation of slums in cities does not only alter the urban form but also infrastructure and service provision.Urban slums constitute one-third of the population in developing countries and the absolute number of slum residents continue to increase.Slum is a complex phenomenon and differs in magnitude and level of deprivation from country to country.A comprehensive research has been conducted on slums globally but lacks finite solutions to its development so far as urbanization is concern as well as the complex nature of slums.The absolute numbers of people living in slums in African cities continue to grow,as the continent is rapidly urbanizing.In Ghana,the trend does not differ from global trends,more and more people from rural Ghana influx cities each passing second particularly Accra.Accra is one of the most developed urban areas in Ghana,therefore,invariably a source of attraction to most citizens of Ghana and neighboring West African countries.Slums in Accra as in any part of the world are heterogeneous in nature,although they may have some common characteristics such as poor sanitation and lack of basic services,all the same,the level of deprivation differs.Most of the slums in Ghana lack the most basic amenities including water,sanitation and decent housing.The research is a case study which focuses on the slums of Nima and Old Fadama both in the Accra Metropolitan Area.When one visits the slum of Nima and Old Fadama,one is likely to sight filth and stench emanating from shallow drains and “improvised” sewages.The question begging for answer is whose sole responsibility is it to foresee the planning of these parts of the city? Slum dwellers form part of the city's fabric and also contribute to economic growth as well as provide cheap labor to the affluent,hence sometimes proximate in rich and fancy neighborhood.This research tried to investigate into how Nima and Old Fadama evolved,the present state of Nima and Old Fadama with respect to infrastructure provision and the level of slum upgrading in both areas.The study also examined the causes of slums in Ghana and specifically in Accra,what made residents to find themselves in slums.The motivation for this study,particularly for focusing on the two slums,is as a result of the numerous slums emanating in different parts of Accra and in the country as a whole and the growing numbers of the population in both Nima(70,000)and Old Fadama(100,000).Also,researching on this topic has become prudent in the light of the present challenge that is confronting both city authorities and government on poor sanitation in Nima and Old Fadama.In recent years,a new trend for anti-demolition and eviction has been propagated particularly by human activists and advocating for slum upgrading with all its ramifications.Globally,slum upgrading is gradually been recognized as the best practice in tackling slum challenges in cities.Therefore,this study looked at the level of slum upgrading in Nima and Old Fadama particularly after the demolition and eviction exercise which turned out bloody in Old Fadama in the year 2015.Does demolition really solve the wiping out of slums in cities?From this backdrop and for achieving the objectives of this reseach,both quality and quantitative methods were used.Questionnaires for the research were administered in two phases.The first phase was administered in April 2017 whilst the second phase was conducted in November 2017.The first phase comprised of three hundred and four questionnaires.Hence,the composition of the administered questionnaires was one hundred and fourty-six(146)for Nima and One hundred and fifty-eight(158)for Old Fadama respectively.The reason for the disparity in numbers in the survey questionnaires is associated with the population of the respective areas,the enthusiasm as well as willingness of respondents to participate in the survey.A non-probability sampling method including purposive and snowball sampling methods were employed.Dealing with slum residents can be cumbersome,hence people eighteen years of age and above willing to participate in the survey were allowed(that is,provided they have an idea on the issues to be asked).The second survey was conducted as a follow-up in November,2017.It was meant to ascertain any form of changes or difference from the previous findings based on the premise that,slums settlements are dynamic.One hundred set of questionnaires were administered in both Nima(50)and Old Fadama(50).Also,key informant interviews comprising of one planning officer,four planning professors and Non-Governmental Organisations(People' Dialogue on Human Settlement,Ghana)as well community leaders in the slums.Furthermore,an observation was conducted on two different families in both slums for thirty days and as well,photographs were taken were necessary.In addition,secondary data were sourced from Ghana archives,journals,online portals and articles.The survey data was analysed using SPSS v.23,Analytical Hierarchy Process worksheet and Microsoft Excel.Also,SPSS v.23,Microsoft Excel and Originlab were employed for plotting graphs and other figures.From the findings of the survey,majority of the respondents lack basic urban infrastructure and services such poor sanitation and schools in the slums,particularly Old Fadama.However,most respondents are legally connected to the national electricity grid.It was perceived that slum dwellings may not be able to afford urban services,hence may indulge in illegal connections of water and electricity.But the findings showed that respondents were connected legally to the national grid for both water and electricity.Most of respondents migrated to stay in the slum in search of job opportunities,school,marriage and so on.Majority of the respondents hail from the northern part of Ghana and are there due to the low level of development in that part of the nation(spatial equality)and lack of job availability.The findings also show that,most of the respondents are self-employed and are engaged in the informal sectors including food vendering,petty trading,head potters,beauticians among others.The slum of Nima priortiszed the completion of the drain in the area and improving employment opportunities as the most pressing needs of the slum.Old Fadama on the other,identified the provision of tenure security and improving employment opportunities as the most needed interventions for the area.Although some respondents have stayed in Nima or Old Fadama for more then five years,they have not seen any significant improvement in the slum conditions.The slum conditions continue to worsen as more poor migrants influx the areas on daily basis and government and city officials also pay less attention to slums.According to one city official,Old Fadama is settled on an illegal land which belongs to government and not safe for habitation.Ironically,residence in this slum pay tax and also take part in casting their votes during national elections.Political Parties organise rallies and equally have local representatives who try to solicit for votes on behalf of their respective parties.Some scholars state that slums are considered by politicians as vote banks partly due to this reason.Based on the findings of the study,the researcher recommends that the slum policy should be fast tracked and implemented immediately.Also,government being the main actor in slum upgrading,should negotiate for tenure security on behalf of slum dwellers from land owners.Again,it was realized that,some of the respondents migrate to Accra even without a reason,therefore,government can take a leaf out of China's Hukou,and implement a system that can fit the Ghanaian system.Furthermore,from the investigation,there is a relation between education,employment and monthly income,therefore,it is recommended that a policy on free and compulsory education for slum dwellers may be implemented.Slum dwellers need to be involved fully as partners in development and not as spectators or just beneficiaries.Much sensitization on altitudinal change and public health should be regular in slums.Last but not the least,planners must move squatters from the onset before it develops into a matured slum,which is very often expensive to correct.Suffice it to say that,this research was not without limitations.Some respondents were not willing to share information about the slum existing slum conditions.Another challenge was language barrier and on accessing secondary data on the population of the slums for extrapolitions in order to predict the growth of the slums in ten years to come.The research developed a five-wheel partnership model for slum upgrading,a zonal plan for the entire country and a policy framework for slum upgrading among others.Due to lack of previous data on the spatial growth of the slums it is recommended that slum census should be conducted in the country.It is also recommended that immediate slum upgrading be done to prevent slum conditions from worsening more than the present situation.A city without slum or a “slumless”country is possible but only with the right policy,planning and the involvement of all stakeholders.The research is divided into six distinct chapters as follows:Chapter one comprises of background of the study,significance and purpose,research questions and objectives and literature.Also,chapter two is composed of the basis of research which gave an insight to the direction of the research.Chapter three involves the study sites and the research methodology.Here,an indepth background of the study sites is presented and some slums in the country are showcased.Chapter four presents the main slum conditions for Nima and Old Fadama which are categorized into the built environment and socio-economic conditions and also the factors influencing the growth of Nima and Old Fadama.Chapter five covers the main factors needed for slum upgrading in Nima and Old Fadama.Chapter six focuses on sustainable slum upgrading planning,policies and strategies.Also,slum prevention and growth strategies are presented in chapter six.The main conclusion of the research is also presented.