The evolving dynamics of land administration and its implications for physical planning in Sub-Saharan Africa: experiences from Wa, Ghana

• Published in: SN Social Sciences 2021-10, Vol.1 (10), Article 259
• Main Authors: Akanbang, Bernard Afiik Akanpabadai, Ibrahim, Abdul-Salam, Yakubu, Zakaria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Education; Linguistics; Original Paper; Psychology; Social Sciences
• ISSN: 2662-9283; 2662-9283
• DOI: 10.1007/s43545-021-00269-5

The New Urban Agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 11 recognize the importance of cities as engines of growth and development. Consequently, increasing attention is given to physical planning as a key tool for routing the transformational course in urban settings. However, how physical planning can effectively drive the transformational agenda in emerging cities with evolving dynamics in land administration is a question lingering the minds of planners. Using mixed methods research design, this study examined the dynamics in land administration in an emerging city, Wa with a fragmented land tenure and a dualistic land administration system. The study showed that problems in land administration such as fragmented landownership, land commodification, documentation challenges, land speculation, rising land conflicts, and disregard for physical planning standards and protocols by family heads have affected planning for the provision of open spaces, green spaces and other public land uses as well as the effective exercise of the development control function of physical planning. The rising conflicts affects the smooth preparation of planning schemes while the land fragmentation slows down the speed of collaborative planning because of the involvement of multifarious actors. We argue that physical planning can withstand the exigencies of urban expansion through a robust land administration system that effectively mediates the diverse interest involved. We recommend the enforcement of land laws on documentation, sensitization of trustors and trustees on land transactions as well as strengthening institutional collaboration to improve on the environment for effective physical planning.