Political ecologies of urban encroachment: Power, governance, and land-use transitions in ecologically sensitive areas of Kumasi, Ghana

Kumasi’s rapid urbanisation is exerting huge pressure on wetlands and urban green spaces. With increasing urbanisation, land-use changes are on the rise, which are detrimental not only to ecological systems but also to urban resilience. Using the political ecology approach, this paper demonstrates how power relations, governance arrangements, and actor interests interact to shape the dynamics and character of encroachment into ecologically sensitive urban green space. To be more specific, it (i) quantitatively assesses urban expansion-related land-cover change in Kumasi between 1994 and 2024, (ii) analyses the interests and narratives behind the involvement of actors in land use change processes, and (iii) examines how urban governance arrangements mediate these processes. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. The analysis of satellite imagery was performed using Google Earth Pro and ArcMap. Fieldwork entailed a survey of households and officials of relevant institutions. Field verification was conducted using descriptive and regression analyses. The findings showed that the built-up areas have increased from 6.3 sq. km (55.5%) in 1994 to 8.0 sq. km (70.8%) in 2024. Whereas water bodies have declined from 3.7 sq. km (33.0%) in 1994 to 2.3 sq. km. This may still allow for some waterlogging during periods of heavy rainfall. However, the water bodies remain sufficiently large to serve as effective flood buffers. The critical insight is that encroachment is not something passively produced by demographic pressure. Rather, it is the product of governance gaps, uneven regulatory enforcement, and power negotiated among state actors, customary authorities, developers, and residents. The study reflects the reconfiguration of ecological spaces and the reiteration of socio-environmental vulnerability under the regime of governance-mediated urbanisation. The study proposes implementing interventions that integrate governance reform, community engagement, and ecological monitoring systems that combine remote sensing, municipal registries, and community reporting.