Commentary, News

Does Ghana Really Need A New City To Decongest Accra?

NEWS COMMENTARY ON WHETHER GHANA REALLY NEEDS A NEW CITY TO DECONGEST ACCRA?

In recent interactions with the public, President John Mahama, expressed the need to decongest Accra, by removing some MDAs to a proposed “new city,” to be located somewhere between Greater Accra, Eastern and Volta Regions. There is no doubt, that Accra needs to be decongested and developed into a deserved capital city of Ghana. Within the context of national composite development for effective human habitation, work ethics and provision of utility and security services throughout the country, there is a school of thought that suggests, that building a “new city” may fall short of resolving the problem. The “new city” will be like Tema, with all its associated woes since its creation in 1961: becoming the new centre of migration from all over Ghana and West Africa, in search of jobs. Abuja, for example, was a very nice city built to decongest Lagos. Regrettably today, Abuja has lost it; with flocks of squatters having little respect for beauty. It is also argued, that cost-effectively, the funds to build the “new city”: office buildings, housing, roads, electricity, water, schools, hospitals, parks and gardens, security services among others, can as well be used to further the Decentralisation Agenda, which has the potential of bridging the gap between the north-south divide; the rural-urban-divide; the industry-raw material disconnect and the inadequate industry and manufacturing hubs. Such a move goes to enhance holistic approach to national development. Therefore, a way to decongest Accra is to revisit the idea of fully putting into action the District Assembly Concept of devolution of power and authority to the doorsteps of the people. The development of District Capitals to the status of mini-cities is one surest way of minimising the trooping of people from all parts of the country to Accra; with the potential of redirecting it to the “new city.” Well-developed District capitals will become new centres of job creation and invariably harbingers of migrants. More so, youth employment could be boosted through modern ways of farming, by encouraging the youth and Ghanaians interested in agriculture, to venture into it, to feed industry and the nation, coupled with good governance, that drives national development, aimed to discourage people from migrating to the city of Accra.

Another way of decongestion is moving some of the MDAs to the Regional Capitals to operate from there. In Ghana, for example, the Office of the National House of Chiefs is located in Kumasi. In the UK, Manchester is the Headquarters of Utility Services across the country. Those Ministries, Departments and Agencies proposed for the “new city,” could as well be relocated to designated Regional Capitals right from the start. Resourcing and strengthening the district Assemblies to develop the towns and communities, would make the youth in particular to develop the appetite for staying and working in those communities, other than the penchant for migrating to the major cities to chase non-existent jobs. In Ghana where projects are abandoned by succeeding governments, the idea of a “new city,” as projected to take twenty years to complete, can be “politically” torpedoed to the status of a white elephant. Resources already put in could not be so wasted, if used to expand facilities at the regional or district levels from the scratch. The idea of decongesting Accra is laudable. However, the concept of a “new city,” with all its ambitious projections, needs a reset.