Ghana’s early planning laws excluded most of the country

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Private sector lawyer and policy expert David Ofosu-Dorte says early colonial and post-independence planning frameworks in Ghana excluded large parts of the country from formal development planning, shaping today’s uneven urban growth.

Speaking at the JoyNews Amalgam of Professional Bodies Speaker Series on managing the cities better for economic growth, he referenced historical planning laws and administrative classifications that defined early development zones.

“At that time, the definition of Ghana was what was subsequently reflected in CAP 84… the planning area was restricted,” he explained.

According to him, early planning systems focused on select urban centres such as Accra, Cape Coast and Kumasi, leaving vast areas outside formal planning structures.

He noted that over time, towns like Suame and Sunyani were later added, but national spatial planning remained uneven.

Ofosu-Dorte said the legacy of these early frameworks still influences Ghana’s current urban development challenges.

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David Ofosu-Dorte

post-independence

urban growth