Land Markets in African Cities: The Case of Peri-urban Accra, Ghana

Land markets in African cities are characterised by the co-existence of different modes of supply that originate from the different stages of their development. Customary land tenure remains important in many of these cities, although its future is widely disputed. This paper discusses the implicati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Urban studies (Edinburgh, Scotland) Scotland), 2000-12, Vol.37 (13), p.2485-2500
Main Authors: Gough, Katherine V., Yankson, Paul W. K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accra metropolitan area
Agricultural land
Cities
Cultural identity
Economic development
Ghana
Land development
Land leases
Land management
Land market
Land ownership
Land tenure
Land use
Land utilization
Public land
Supply
Tenancy at will
Towns
Urban agriculture
Urban areas
Urban sociology
Villages
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Summary:Land markets in African cities are characterised by the co-existence of different modes of supply that originate from the different stages of their development. Customary land tenure remains important in many of these cities, although its future is widely disputed. This paper discusses the implications of the co-existence of customary land tenure and state involvement in the land market in peri-urban Accra, where land is rapidly being converted from agricultural to residential use. The land market is shown to be complex and diverse, characterised by a high level of uncertainty and widespread disputes. The strong sense of cultural identity associated with customary land, and the difficulties of introducing major changes to land markets, however, point towards maintaining a modified form of customary land tenure.
ISSN:0042-0980
1360-063X
DOI:10.1080/00420980020080651