African cities are expanding rapidly, bringing new challenges in sanitation and infrastructure. This week’s debate in Ghana explores how urban planning can support sustainable growth in Africa’s major urban centers.
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00:00Hello and welcome back to the 77% Street Debate. This week we are in the outskirts of Accra,
00:12Ghana. African cities developing rapidly are facing a dire situation. And so today we're
00:17here to find out from some Ghanaians if there's a way that Africa can urbanize so that we become
00:23the cities of the future. And I want to start with Patrick. You are an Uber driver within
00:28the city of Accra. So you probably know the city inside and out. How would you describe
00:33how the city has been planned? Does it make sense to you? Is it a good city? Is it efficient?
00:38Those areas that I don't want to go has high demand of riders. And I couldn't go there
00:46because of traffic and the road network. And if you want to chase the money and work in
00:53those areas, what happens is that you end up spending all the money on repairs.
00:59Yeah.
00:59Yeah.
00:59Okay. So let me hear from Sophia who's a student in Accra as well. And as we were speaking earlier,
01:05you said to me that your biggest headache in the city is transport. Talk to me about that.
01:10So sometimes still you stand for more than an hour or more than two hours and the transport
01:16still hasn't arrived for you to pick. The private transport systems also like the taxi and the
01:22Uber. Sometimes it was very expensive for students like me. So we have to resort to the
01:26or the public transport, which is sometimes really a headache.
01:31So the transport system is not scheduled. It's not formalized. And I wonder, Christiana,
01:35if this is something that's a headache for you?
01:37Yes. So if the traffic situation is such that you can't maneuver your way through to get to
01:44the patient early, it can lead to high mortalities and morbidities, which we don't want.
01:50Right. So the person who's actually charged with making sure that the road network, particularly
01:54the West municipality is here. So that's your job to make sure that the municipality is running
01:59smoothly. So how does it feel when you hear that things are not okay?
02:03Our road networks, there's a problem. The problem is that most of the people, most of the residents
02:09also encroach the road. Somebody will build a house and probably about 10 meters from the house
02:16or 40 meters. There should be a road. But he builds his wall on that. So the issue now is that
02:22what do we do?
02:24But it's interesting you're saying what should we do when in fact you're the one who's been charged
02:28with resolving the issue.
02:30In fact, there is a policy. We need to just enforce the policies. Who enforces what is right?
02:36Okay. Who puts the timelines to say, okay, I've gone to see this building and you've written
02:41that it should be removed. And I realize that it's been built. So we need to question the
02:46person who is in charge. And then we enforce it.
02:50All right. So before enforcing, we have to really identify the challenges. And we are at
02:54a school, the SOS school. And one of their students wants to tell us what the challenges
02:59are for you.
03:00I think for me personally, the biggest problem we have is the drainage systems and the roads
03:04as well. Because people may dispose their waste into gutters. It ends up just choking
03:10and flooding the roads as well. And because the roads are not all tired and not all the
03:14best, it causes the roads to get muddy. And if you're not driving the biggest car or a
03:20four by four, it could lead you to get stuck and cause you to be late to wherever you're
03:25going or yeah.
03:26Yeah. Let me hear from some of your fellow students back here. How is it affecting your
03:32day to day lives? I also noticed that due to this congestion on the roads, it really
03:37creates a lot of pollution in our atmosphere and our systems. So I think it would be necessary
03:42for us to like provide different access to transport routes such as trains, bike lanes
03:47and other modes of transport. Yeah. I mean, those are really ambitious dreams. And I think
03:51everybody in Africa would want that. But do you believe that our governments on the continent
03:56are taking us seriously when we tell them we need these things?
03:58Personally, I don't necessarily think they're taking us too seriously because, as the others
04:07said, needs are being communicated, but nothing is really being done about it.
04:12So we're talking about governments not necessarily taking young people seriously. It's still your
04:17responsibility.
04:18Very soon the electric buses will be launched and we'll be using the electric buses. And then
04:22the train tool will start using it.
04:23Let me ask, Will, why has it taken Ghana so long to start speaking about things like
04:28a diversified road network system or different kinds of transport?
04:32Everything that is being talked about, at the heart of it, is a talent and creativity problem.
04:38We are led by people who don't have original ideas and don't know how to experiment to get
04:45to great ideas. So there is an endemic behavior of political actors who hide behind policy and
04:54plans and do very little.
04:56I want to speak to Moro, who's standing next to you. Now, Moro is visually impaired. So I just
05:01wanted to know what your experience is going through the cities of Tema, Accra, or whatever
05:07they may be. Do you feel like they are inclusive spaces?
05:10I find it difficult to move because they work with open gutters when it rains, stagnant
05:17water and a lot of obstacles. You can never be independent.
05:22All right. I asked about inclusion and I want to come back to the students. Do you feel
05:26like the city is safe for you guys to walk in?
05:29I don't believe the city is very safe for us. Like in Tema here, there's only like a few
05:35police stations around.
05:36Let me hear from you. Is this the same experience that you have?
05:40Over time, I feel like Tema and Accra have definitely become less safe because you feel
05:46like you could be kidnapped or something in the city.
05:49Wow. Okay. Talking about even being kidnapped. But we also did talk about drains and sanitation
05:55is a major issue in this country.
05:58I think for me, regarding the waste management service providers, even where I live, they are
06:03not accessible. They don't come to those areas.
06:05So how do you guys take care of your rubbish then?
06:08We burn it. So my question goes to her asking how are we supposed to dispose of rubbish then?
06:14Because then again, burning is not sustainable for the environment.
06:17Absolutely not. So that's a good question, Felicia.
06:19You see, we have our, depending on where you are, with the Tema West, we have our environmental
06:25department where we even have forms that you go, you have to fill. When you come to my place,
06:31I have the decks. I'll make sure that everybody's on tour.
06:33I like how you're saying, when you come to my place, when you come to my place, please
06:36go to her place. Let me just move on to Will. How do we get people more interested in how
06:41their cities and their spaces look?
06:42The general feeling I get is that a lot of Ghanaians cannot envision what a functional city looks
06:52like because they've never lived in one.
06:54Patrick, let's hear some solutions for you. What do you think needs to be done to make Tema,
06:58Accra and other cities within Ghana more sustainable, more efficient?
07:02I'm always after the money. So enough of all these fancy flyovers. We need roads that goes
07:09through every suburb in the city.
07:13Okay. So enough flyovers. You want functionality form over substance. All right. Solutions.
07:19One solution that would help us with this pollution issue in particular would be more affordable
07:23housing because it seems to be an issue that a lot of the population in Tema live in slums
07:31and squatters in uncompleted buildings. This leads to very poor waste management and just
07:41very horrible attitudes towards their environment. So if governments were to direct funding to
07:48provide more affordable housing for these low, mid-income people, they wouldn't have to
07:52bath outside. They wouldn't have to throw their waste in their gutters right next to them.
07:55And finally, let me hear your thoughts, Felicia.
07:57Get close to the governors because whatever you have can help us. You see, because you
08:03are getting into a market where there are a lot of competitions and if it's good, but you
08:08come alone and there is no other that, okay, what you are using is very good. It's helping
08:14my assembly or my municipal not to get, you know, the pollution and all that. I could tell
08:20you, look, I'm bringing you in. I'll make sure that everybody who wants to do this should
08:25come and I will give you the people and then do a work and everybody will be comfortable.
08:29So collaboration, I think that's, yeah, I think that's been said by a lot of people
08:33here. And indeed, it is the big takeaway for me that if African, African cities from Tema
08:39to Antenana River and even Kinshasa want to become the cities that William has described,
08:43we all need to work together. Thank you all for watching.