Land-Based Financing Of Urban Development And Infrastructure Provision In Ghana Cities: Policy And Praxis

Rapid urbanization and economic development in recent times have influenced the development of cities. The combined effect of these factors have led to unplanned and uncoordinated spatial expansion leading to increased demand for urban infrastructure and services especially in Sub- Saharan Africa. Yet the necessary financial resources and competencies for local infrastructure production simply do not exist to meet this challenge. This situation has received attention from many international bodies such as United Nations, UN-Habitat and the World Bank. The United Nation’sSustainable Development Goals, SDGs 11 has emphasized the importance of building inclusive, safe, and resilient sustainable and communities. The implementation strategy for the SDG 11 - the New Urban Agenda document, recognizes the importance of mobilizing additional revenues from innovative sources such leverage land values to finance urban infrastructure. In its resolution #37, it seeks to promote best practice of capturing land value increases from urban development process and infrastructure investment to finance urban infrastructure. The study examines how innovative land-based financing tools –development charges, betterment levies and property rates have been conceptualized in Ghanaian cities. It assesses the legislative and institutional frameworks of land-based financing as well as the implementation challenges of current instruments. It uses case studies of three municipalities in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA to investigate the application of land-based financing instruments and the challenges of its successful application. Interviews will be conducted with engineers, physical planning and budget officers of the three municipalities as well as the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.