The changing nature of urban governance in peri-urban Accra, Ghana

During the 1990s Ghana, like most African states, has experienced a change in its mode of governance. A decentralised approach to development planning and administration has met with limited success. This paper examines the roles played by the newly created district assembly members, the traditional chiefs and elders, and the newly formed residents' associations in urban governance in peri-urban Accra, focusing in particular on their attempts to provide services. It shows how important the complex relations between customary authorities and the newly decentralised state are for an understanding of urban governance.