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Ghana Land, Services and Citizenship for the Urban Poor (LSC)
Ghana LSC at a Glance
The LSC programme is a partnership initiative undertaken by the Government of Ghana and its support partners to align urban development efforts at the national, local and community levels. It aims to: Support national and local policy dialogue to promote sustainable urbanisation, ensure the empowerment of local governments, and reinforce the importance of active community participation. Strengthen the capacity of local government to inclusively plan and manage urban growth. Empower organisations of the urban poor to actively engage in local development. Focus on the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA).

ban concentration, which comprises eight urban districts (two metropolitan and six municipal assemblies). The programme is designed to develop into a national initiative through the systematic sharing of experiences and lessons with all urban local governments in Ghana.

What are the Objectives of LSC?

LSC seeks to build the capacity of Government both national and localand urban poor communities so that they can effectively manage urban growth, improve citizens access to services, and formulate more inclusive urban development policies that benefit the poor. It aims to: Bring coherence of effort by creating an institutional framework that allows stakeholders to align their activities and financing towards common objectives. This leads to greater coordination in urban development efforts. Build effective partnerships among the national government, local governments, urban poor communities and other stakeholders. These partnerships will be based on rights and responsibilities that are clearly defined and negotiated.

What is the Ghana LSC Programme?

The Land, Services and Citizenship for the Urban Poor Programme (LSC) is an initiative undertaken by the Government of Ghana to align urban development efforts at the national government, local government and community levels and include the urban poor in the planning and decision-making processes. LSC activities will centre on the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), the countrys largest ur-

Who are the Partners in LSC?

The Government of Ghana is implementing LSC through the Urban Development Unit (UDU)

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and the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), both under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD). Local partners include the Ghana Federation of the Urban Poor, Peoples Dialogue, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). These partners are in turn supported by international organisations including Agence Franaise de Dveloppement (AFD), Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI), UN-HABITAT, and the World Bank.

Urbanisation in Ghana
Today more than half of Ghanas population lives in urban areas. An estimated 60 per cent of Ghanas national output is produced in urban areas. With an annual growth rate of 3.6 percent, Ghanas urban population will more than double between 2000 and 2025. Some 51 per cent of urban residents live in slums. GAMA is the largest and most densely populated urban concentration in the country, with a population of 2.7 million that is expected to grow to 7.5 million by 2030.

Aerial view of a market in Accra Andrea Zeman/Cities Alliance

 Institutional capacity support to the Urban DeThe programme is facilitated and supported by velopment Unit (UDU). Established by the MLCities Alliance, a global partnership for urban GRD to coordinate urban efforts by various poverty reduction and the promotion of the role stakeholders, the UDU will be developed and of cities in sustainable development. LSC is the built up so that it has the casecond initiative (after Uganpacity and stature to lead the da) to be supported under Cities Alliances Country PartWe need to engage process of promoting an inclusive approach to urbanisanership Programme approach, in dialogue, raise tion. which emphasises a long-term Ghana National Urban commitment to mobilise the the issues so that Platform. Initially launched different drivers of urban depolicy makers and in 2009 with support from velopment in a country and to CHF International, the Ghaplanners are hearing improve both dialogue and cona Urban Platform aims to herence of effort among them. the concerns of become a permanent forum the peoplethe for all stakeholders in GhaWhat are the Main nas urban sector to estabwhole idea of urban Activities of the First lish a national consensus on development is dealing with the challenges Phase of LSC? and opportunities of rapid The programme is being deinclusivity. urbanisation. veloped in several phases that are designed through extensive Nana Oduro Kwarteng, Public awareness and advocacy. A strategy will be consultations. The first phase Chief Director, MLGRD developed for raising awareincludes the activities outlined ness and building the pobelow. Subsequent phases will litical commitment to both build on the experiences and lesmanage urbanisation and to promote an acsons of phase one, focusing on security of tenure, tive urban citizenry based on inclusivity. incremental housing and metropolitan strategic planning. At the Local Level In its first phase, LSC will support activities that At the National Level deepen the knowledge base and strengthen the caLSC activities at the national level aim to suppacity of urban local governments and other urport the Government of Ghana as it develops, in ban stakeholders to develop inclusive, sustainable partnership with stakeholders, a national urban cities. They include: agenda focused on inclusive urban development policies and strategies. These activities are being Capacity Development. The Institute of Locoordinated by the Ministry of Local Government cal Government Studies (ILGS) will develop and Rural Development (MLGRD) with the supand deliver a municipal training programme port of GIZ. They include:

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to build the institutional leadership of both the operational and political areas of local government. The goal is to systematically improve urban management skills and engage in more effective community outreach and communication. Through the Urban Back Up initiative by BMZ and its implementation organization GIZ, similar training and capacity building will extend to an additional ten local governments throughout Ghana. In doing so, the reach and impact of Cities Alliance urban development programs in secondary cities will increase. State of Ghanaian Cities Report. KNUST, in partnership with the African Centre for Cities (ACC), will work with local governments to systematically document the nature of urban structures and analyse socio-economic conditions of Ghanas cities. These include patterns and trends relating to poverty, informality and inequality, as well as governance, environmental sustainability and productivity. The information will empower urban local governments to better plan and manage urban growth. At the Community Level The LSC programme seeks to mobilise communities of the urban poor, primarily through the establishment of slum dweller federations in the municipalities of GAMA. Federations enable communities to organise around activities such as savings groups, enumeration and mapping and have a platform for collective action. These activities will in turn help communities obtain the knowledge and information they need to engage with local and national governments on local development. They include: Conduct an urban poor typology. This activity aims to develop an understanding of the magnitude and dimensions of the urban poor experience in Greater Accra, with a focus on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA). It includes profiles of the different types of communities, which will feed into enumeration and registration activities and serve to mobilise communities in the process. Mobilise and federate savings groups. Savings mechanisms, which are controlled and managed by the urban poor themselves, form the basis for collective action in urban poor communities. They enable people to build their own capacity and increase their organisational ability while gaining access to affordable finance. Cultivate community leaders. A group of community leaders representing urban poor communities will be trained on methods of effective engagement with government and other stakeholders. Establish a Community Social Investment Fund. The Fund will allow community organisations to apply for grants for small-scale projectssuch as painting a schoolwhich they will then oversee. These projects help communities experience visible progress quickly and build participatory planning skills, while engaging in constructive partnerships with local government.

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