Construction Of The Second National Capital – An Opportunity For Inclusive, Equitable, Sustainable National Development And Social Integration

INTRODUCTION
The decision of government to construct a second capital city in Ghana is laudable and Ghanaians have welcomed this decision. The impact of this project to national development cannot be questioned.

Accra has everything but nothing to show as a symbol of economic power, modernization and an embodiment of the spirit and soul of the nation. For want of a better word I will say Ghana has been “Accranized” (centralized development planning System). This “Accranization” has brought on it wake challenges in the nation that are almost becoming unsurmountable due to our fragile economy. It is the power house of everything in Ghana; from governance, economic, education and national monuments among others, but not a city everyone is proud of.

Accra is now the face of poor spatial planning, filthy environment, land litigation and the center of corruption and morale decadence among other ills. Beyond the land of Greater Accra and coming towards the north, Ghana has become the pale shadow of itself. The development disparity is too glaring and this has lasted for decades without a deliberate plan to narrow the development gap between North and South and between rural and urban areas.

Some interventions over the years have been implemented towards reducing these disparities such as the scholarship for northern students and the Northen Development Authority (NDA) among others. These initiatives were poorly implemented because they were either ad hoc decisions or response of governments to political demands.

The time has come for us to depart from the “Accranization” of our national development and the decision for second national city could be a bold intervention to address the problems of inclusive growth, equitable development and social integration.

My concern in this piece however, is the proposed location for the second national capital, which is at the intersection of Eastern, Greater Accra and Volta regions. This policy brief sheds light on these concerns and also presents recommendations on how the country can take advantage of the second capital city to bridge development gap between North and South.

OBJECTIVES
This policy brief aimed at

• stimulating national debate around the proposed new city for proper siting to enhance national development.
• Proposing recommendations to policy makers on how we can achieve equity, inclusive growth and the social integration with the proper location of the second capital city.

KEY CONCERNS OR CHALLENGES

• Availability of land: The Greater Accra has the smallest land size of 3,245 square kilometers. Thus, 1.4% of the total area of Ghana and with the highest population of 0ver 5.455,692 million. This population size forms about 17.7% of the total population in the country. In contrast, the Savannah region has total population of 653,266 with a land size of 35,862 square kilometers, which is the largest among the 16 administrative regions (GSS, 2021). For a gargantuan project of this magnitude, the size of the land matters and Greater Accra cannot provide that sufficient land needed for this project. The Savannah region alone is sufficient to accommodate this national project with ease. The idea of intersecting the city across the three regions is an admission of lack of readily available land in our southern regions. Intersecting the project across these may sound feasible but the negative impact on our Eco -system, chieftaincy system and congestion in Greater Accra will be enormous. Hence the need for those in charge to conduct some feasibility studies in the North since there is enough land to give out for national development.

• The Eco-System in Volta region: The volta region is the only “heaven” we have in Ghana. The only region with clean forest and water bodies devoid of “galamsey”. The destination for tourists and with revered chieftaincy system. According to a Ghanaian youtuber “Wodemaya”, every Ghanaian should have a vacation home in volta region because of the serene environment. The Volta and the Eastern regions are home to major tourists’ sites in Ghana with beautiful beaches and hotels. These regions have become the preferred destination for our three arms of government escaping the hustle and bustle in Accra to hold their retreats, trainings and other important conferences. After destroying Greater Accra, will Volta or Eastern be the next victim? Do we care about the environment and sustainability of our cities?

• Cost of Construction: Comparatively, there would be high financial and non-financial cost if the city is to be located at the proposed location. Payment of compensation and royalties to different paramountcies and landowners across three different regions would be chaotic and if not well managed could degenerate into rebellions. The topography of the land in most of these forest areas is not flat and therefore getting the land in the right shape for construction adds to the cost compared to the flat lands of savannah in the Northern Sector. The clash of unique cultures from three different regions needs to also be critically looked at.

• Decongestion of Accra: One of the aims of this new city is to decongest Accra. Th capital now has already expanded beyond the Greater Accra lands into central and Eastern regions. So, the current congestion is already affecting part of Central and Eastern regions. Which land again will be available for this project in Greater Accra? I believe is time to think of how we can make more green areas available to residence of Greater Accra for flood control, earthquake mitigation and recreation. Taking part of Greater Accra lands again for this project will worsen the congestion situation in an area already designated as flood and earthquake prone.

• Conflict in the North: The unending conflict in the north has been attributed to the prevalence of poverty. This has become a drain on our national coffers. No year passes without incidence of conflict being recorded in the North. Previous interventions aimed at reducing poverty in the north had not achieved the desired outcome. If the second city is located in the north, it will attract investment into the area, enhance service provision and bringing governance closer to the people. This will go a long way to address poverty issues and thereby reducing the recuring conflict in the north.

• Rural – Urban Migration: the rural-urban migration is a global phenomenon with high incidence in developing countries. People on daily basis move from rural settings to urban areas in search of better living conditions. In Ghana however, this incident is more pronounced, with people moving from north to south. The development disparity between North and South is too wide, causing this one-way traffic towards the capital. Basic services in Ghana are highly centralized making the decentralization system weak and thereby fueling this movement to Accra on daily basis. This has compounded the problems in Accra leading to uncontrolled slumps conditions and incidence of “Kayaye” in the city. When the city is located in the North, this migration trend would be minimized and access to services improved.

• It has the biggest land in the country (35,862 square kilometers)
• The black and white volta pass through the savannah region with enough water to power the city.
• Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) Depot is located at the center of Savannah region to ensure fuel security.
• The closeness of Savannah to the Tamale International Airport will boost air transport in Northern Ghana.
• It serves as link between Southern and Northern Ghana. Other regions in the South like the Bono East, Oti region and some part of Ashanti can benefit from the services of this city because of their proximity to the north. It will also reduce travel time for far regions like Upper East and West in accessing services at the national level.
• Vast agricultural land to produce and feed the growing city.
• Water way for transporting goods from Tema (the industrial city) to the north.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
To address the challenges enumerated above, I propose the following policy recommendations.

• Availability of land

• Government should extend the feasibility study up north to take advantage of the abundance of land especially in the savannah region.
• The chiefs and people of savannah should be ready to release land at low or no cost to the state.
• Key players in the North of Ghana (academia, chieftaincy, and business community) should support the effort of government in this direction.

• Decongestion of Accra

• Government should ensure the city is sited far away from Greater Accra (in the North) to achieve not only the aim of decongestion but also bringing governance closer to people far away from Accra.
• Government will also achieve efficiency in service delivery and at lower cost to citizens if the city is far away from the center (Accra).

• Conflict in the North

• Government should use the siting of the city as an avenue to achieve lasting peace and poverty reduction in the Northern Sector.
• The key stakeholders in the Northern Sector should see it as rallying point for peace building and ethnic integration for peaceful co-existence and poverty eradication.

• Rural – Urban Migration

• Government must seize this opportunity to reduce the tide of migration to the south in search of non-existing jobs.
• Government will use it as an avenue for national integration by attracting some population from South to North for general appreciation of our cultural diversity and sense of nationalism.

The above recommendations will immensely help address the issues regarding where to site the second national capital to achieve equitable, inclusive, sustainable national development and social integration. All stakeholders must be involved to realise this vision.

POLICY IMPLICATIONS
The rationale and effort at addressing these challenges are rooted in the collective wisdom of our leaders past and present to ensure holistic and sustainable national development that is anchored on equity and social justice. These included the dreams of extending electricity, railway lines, quality road networks, educational facilities, and industries among others to the northern part of Ghana to bridge the development gap left behind by the colonial masters. The idea of second national city fits well into this national plan and therefore siting it in Northern Ghana will help realise this vision.

Additionally, promoting these policy proposals aligns with international commitments and protocols in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 10, 15 and 16. Thus, SDG1, focused on ending poverty in all its forms. SDG 10, focused on reduced inequalities. SDG 15, life on land (our ecosystem) and SDG 16, focused on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (UN, 2015). By siting the city in the north, we will be making a quantum jump towards attaining the SDGs.

Also, this proposal falls in line with the requirements of the decentralization policy in Ghana in our effort to improve upon the local government system. This will further promote local participation in governance and efficient service delivery across the country.

Other implications include promotion of national awareness and cohesion. Boosting internal tourism, reducing negative misconceptions about some ethnic groups and tribes and creating a collective sense of national identity and equal opportunity for all.

ISSUED BY:
IMURANA MAHAMUDU
(DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONER & POLICY ANALYST – 0242818604, [email protected])