Navigating Traditional and Modern Institutions in City Governance
The Role of Chieftaincy in Spatial Planning in Tamale, Ghana
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7229786 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Issahaka Fuseini (0000-0001-6473-7392, Department of Adult Education and Human Resource Studies, University of Ghana, Accra, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 80 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 230-248 |
| Publication date | 2021-04-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-0184 • E-ISSN: 1469-2872 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00020184.2021.1911623 |
| OpenAlex | W3160209807 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 33 |
At a time of intensifying urbanisation in Ghana, ineffective spatial planning is one of the symptomatic challenges of urban growth in the country. In the Ghanaian context, traditional authorities (chiefs) play a disproportionate role in urban land management due to the fact that a vast proportion of the country's land is held in customary tenurial arrangements. The role of the traditional authorities in (urban) land management is given legal status by national constitutional provisions that recognise chiefs as fiduciaries of the land held under customary tenure. The state-supported customary land secretariats (CLSs) perform these responsibilities in conjunction with the local government structures. They are largely being operationalised through urban land-use planning. However, the complex factors and processes of rapid urban growth have had unintended consequences. These include increased urban land values, speculative and informal land markets, and overlapping governance/power structures. The outcome has been the reported commodification and administration of urban land by chiefs for personal gain. These complex processes evolve at the intersection of traditional and modern governance structures which are opportunistically interpreted and applied to achieve certain ends. This article demonstrates how these changes in customary land administration are evolving in Tamale, Ghana. Qualitative interviews were undertaken with participants from relevant statutory land sector institutions, local government officials and traditional authorities. Using the lens of urban governance and planning practices, the article explores the outcomes of chief-led spatial planning and customary land administration practices and associated land markets in Tamale. These are social, economic and spatial inequalities, as well as urban governance challenges
Agriculture · Business · Commodification · Context (archaeology · Corporate governance · Customary land · Economic growth · Economics · Economy · Environmental planning · Geography · Government (linguistics · Land administration · Land tenure · Land use · Local government · Political science · Statutory law · Urban planning · Urbanization · Finance · Land Rights and Reforms · Law · Public Administration · Urban and Rural Development Challenges
Property rights misalignment in peri-urban Ghana
Development Priorities of Local and Traditional Government Leaders in Ghana
Urban governance and the implementation of major infrastructure projects in Kumasi, Ghana
Tenure responsive land use planning in Ghana
Sustainability of urban expansion in Africa
Institutional complexities and power structures
Customary land ownership and land use change in Kumasi
Institutional hybrids through meso-level bricolage
Urban expansion and livelihood dynamics in peri-urban Tamale, Ghana
Planning public green spaces within customary land tenure contexts
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Accra
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Missing the point? Urban planning and the normalisation of ‘pathological’ spaces in southern Africa
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Demographic and Housing Aspects of Structural Adjustment and Emerging Urban Form in Accra, Ghana
Silent privatisation of customary land in Zambia
| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 9 |