Fragile and compromised housing: Implications of land conflicts on housing development in peri-urban Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Existing housing literature in the Global south suggests housing development processes are linear and do not appear to incorporate unexpected events such as land conflicts, which cause destructions, stoppages, and setbacks to housing development. This paper argues that the nexus between land conflicts and housing development can best be conceptualised as fragile and compromised housing. This concept draws attention to the highly violent politics of land and its impact on the housing process, the housing product, and the well-being of the housebuilder. Using evidence from peri-urban Accra and drawing on interviews, the study unpacks the lived experiences of individual housebuilders in navigating through land conflicts to build. The study found that the impact of land conflicts on housing development manifests in complex ways including multiple financial commitments, capital lockdown, cyclical building, compromised housing, and compromised wellbeing. Arguably, these findings highlight the contemporary perspectives to understanding incremental and piecemeal housing in peri-urban Accra and by extension, the Global South.

Keywords:

• Housing
• Peri-urban Accra
• Land conflict

Acknowledgements

The author expresses gratitude to all research participants for their selfless involvement in the study. I am also grateful to the three anonymous reviewers who provided comments and suggestions that helped shape this paper. Finally, I’d like to thank everyone who read previous drafts of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Landguardism- is the ‘act of employing individuals or a group of young people who use illegitimate forces to protect land and landed properties as a service in exchange for cash or in-kind remuneration’ (See Ehwi and Asafo, 2021; p.3; Badong, 2009)

2 Exchange Rate as at 31 December 2018 was US$1 = GH₵ =4.8176 (See https://www.bog.gov.gh/treasury-and-the-markets/historical-interbank-fx-rates/)

Additional information

Funding

The University of Sheffield as funders of this study.

Notes on contributors

Divine Mawuli Asafo

Divine Mawuli Asafo is currently a Lecturer in Human Geography in the School of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Hull. His research focuses on urban and peri-urban development, land conflicts, housing development, and disaster risk management.