When Accra is not the capital
I asked two ministers of state, deputy ministers actually, if it made sense for the capital of Ghana to be moved from Accra to the middle belt of the country. One said it was a very good idea, but needed a lot of homework to sell and a political will to actualise it.
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The second was almost dismissive of the idea, stating that any government that attempts that would have the opposition asking the indigenes of Accra to vote it out. In other words, the opposition would rally the people of Accra to make sure the government lose power.
Noting that these two differing views came from operatives of the same party, the question that came to my mind was why would a plan to relocate the capital from Accra turn into a political circus? Of course, the answer is not far-fetched: every Ghanaian issue becomes a political contest, we all know. So, government says: Fellow Ghanaians, Accra has become so congested it is no more befitting of a national capital, therefore, there are plans to move the capital to an area on the border between Brong Ahafo and Northern regions.
Then opposition screams: People of Ga, this government wants to tell you that you do not deserve to host the nation’s capital anymore. Don’t sit down for them to do this to you. We will reverse this when you vote us into power. The twists and turns will assume a frenzied cacophony on the airwaves and a very serious national issue will be lost in the din.
Accra is congested
Truth is Accra is suffocating. Towns such as Abokobi, Madina, Pantang, Ashongman etc. etc which used to have characters of their own have been so consumed by the rabid expansion of the capital that, they have lost their own identities and become suburbs of Accra. Kasoa, which is in the Central Region and its environs, have also become suburbs of the capital. How long can this continue? Indeed, Accra is a continuum of organised disorganisation.
The population of Accra is close to four million people and counting. Road infrastructure has only seen marginal expansion but is far short to accommodate the ever growing vehicular population. Every road, street, avenue, close or crescent in the capital has been turned into a parking lot for all manner of vehicles.
Accra has not been able to manage the garbage it generates; neither does it have the capacity to handle its liquid waste. Lome, capital of our Eastern neighbour, Togo, does not have open drains but a bigger Accra does in this 21st century.
As of now, decongesting Accra will be an exercise in futility. This is where the Ghanaian action is; our Big Apple. We have a ministry responsible for rural development yet the rural folk are drifting to Accra in droves to run street markets. This city has become one giant supermarket from east to west and from north to south with all manner of shops every few metres. Even the area carved out as an industrial enclave has gradually been turned into showrooms of finished imported goods and centres of religious worship.
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The only forest cover at Achimota is gradually turning into a desert land, thanks to the actions of encroachers and itinerant worshippers. Simply put, Accra has lost it. We must admit that Accra has lost its shine, irrespective of the high-rise edifices sprouting and dotting the city’s skyline. Our sewage system has not expanded to accommodate their wastes. There are virtually no recreational parks, except what there is for children christened the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park. The only tourists Accra’s coastline can attract, and perhaps boast, are houseflies and scavengers.
Cattle and other livestock roam Accra’s streets with reckless abandon as if they have the right to. Simply put: either there are no laws governing the capital or the laws are not meant to work.
Is it not an irony that the June 3 unfortunate floods and disaster happened just as mayors of cities across the globe had packed their bag and baggage out of a Mayor’s conference in Accra? Our capital has assumed a character that needs a heartlessness to cure; and this is no mean task. Indiscipline in the city has taken cancerous dimensions that even an overly radical action will be difficult to cure.
Noise levels all over Accra are up to such decibels only the hearing-impaired can tolerate; traders push pedestrians into the streets to compete with vehicles whose drivers are as dumb as stone. Motorists believe traffic lights are meant for angels. Those tasked to maintain order on the city’s streets will extort monies from recalcitrant motorists who, in turn, race down the roads as if in hypnotic stupor.
Examples of neighbouring countries
Nigerians saw exactly this situation in Lagos and decided to leave that character to its own devices. Off they yanked the administration of that huge country to Abuja or the Federal Capital Territory as they call it. Thereafter, tough governors have come on the scene to bring some sanity into the place. The Lagos I visited recently was not the Lagos I left in 1985. Things have changed and are still changing.
So, I have a case for Ghana’s capital to be moved from Accra. Accra, just as Abidjan and Lagos are to Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria respectively, can be christened the financial capital of Ghana with Tema as its deputy. I will suggest a new city straddling the border between the Kintampo North District of Brong Ahafo and the Central Gonja District of Northern Region. Being the administrative capital of the country, the new city must not challenge the likes of Kumasi and the very Accra we will be running away from; it should be the size of the Eastern Regional capital of Koforidua.
The new capital must first have a buffer zone of not less than 10 kilometres radius that no one will be allowed to own and develop: this will insulate the city from slums as is the case elsewhere. The city’s airport must be not less than 25 kilometres from the city centre. Strict building codes must be put in place for all structures from government offices, residential apartments, banks, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and markets to private residences. I am aware such a code exists for Accra but has never been enforced.
Question is what happens to Accra and the Ga people? Currently, it looks as if the government owns Accra though some royal houses hold title to some of the lands. Those lands acquired by the government remain its property because it is in trust for the people. However, accruable ground rent should be shared between the Ga State and the local government, in this case, the assemblies. If I were a Ga, I would pray for this day to arrive in my lifetime.