Self-help and spontaneous heroism in urban service delivery in Ghana’s informal neighbourhoods: a case study of Moshie Zongo

ABSTRACT

The delivery of urban services and facilities is the primary responsibility of both local and central governments to facilitate the day-to-day activities of urban dwellers. However, the financial incapacity, coupled with general institutional constraints, hinders the efficient and adequate provision of all relevant infrastructure facilities needed by urban dwellers, particularly, in informal neighbourhoods. In response, self-help initiatives and spontaneous activities of some actors have emerged to bridge the gap and at best, complement the government’s development efforts. Utilising a mixed-method approach, the study relied on both quantitative and qualitative data from 374 randomly selected households as well as key informants from relevant institutions to explore the dynamism of self-help initiatives. The study specifically relies on the delivery of waste management and water supply services to evaluate and understand self-help initiatives in Moshie Zongo, an informal community in Kumasi City. From the analysis, the tricycle waste collectors (Aboboya) through the self-help initiative collect about 80%−90% of the solid waste generated in the area which is also preferred by about 80% of the community dwellers. Moreover, about 60% of the sources of water are owned by private individuals. Again, the Wastes Department of KMA, through Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) and Renovate, Operate, and Transfer (ROT) has helped to provide and renovate new and existing toilet facilities to ensure the provision and management of liquid waste in informal settlements. The study proposes effective and efficient monitoring, coordination, and regulation to enhance this initiative in the delivery of urban infrastructure and services.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-help initiative
• informality
• urban service delivery
• Moshie Zongo

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).