DEVELOPING COUNTRIES’ URBAN DYNAMISM
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR BETTER PLANNING;
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AT ASHALE BOTWE
BY
EMMANUEL YAW DANKWA
This is a summary of a research conducted in 1994 in partial fulfilment of my B.A. (hons) in Sociology under the critical supervision of Professor Margaret Grieco of the Sociology Department, University of Ghana, Legon.
Ashale Botwe is a new urban zone under the authority of the Tema Municipal Council. The rapid urdan growth in the Accra Metropolitan Area has given significance to Ashale Botwe in terms of location and social change
This research investigated some classical questions in urban sociology.
Attention was paid to the type of problems which are viewed as specific features of developing countries’ urban dynamism.
More so, it considered the effects of urban sprawl on the peripheries of cities in developing countries.
The peripheries which are mostly farming areas are now converting to into urban residential areas. Urbanization is giving land a value which encourages chiefs to sell stool lands and permits modern development that does not appear to fit into traditional way of life.
Urbanization has resulted in pressure for the registration of land and regularization of land-use.
The registration of land enables trading in land which in its turn results in the displacement of the traditional way of life.
Ashale Botwe is a rapidly growing settlement on the boundary of Accra (capital city of Ghana) but administered under the municipal jurisdiction of Tema.
The pressure on land and housing facilities in Accra has given Ashale Botwe much value so much that it is probable that it consider better planning programmes for developers, governments, donors, individuals, international organization and business investors in such a potential developing area.
In this issue three groups of respondents were thoroughly interviewed; traditional inhabitants of Ashale Botwe, incoming settlers and local planners.
All these parties recognized the opportunities which existed to improve planning.
For purposes of trends of development, the history of Ashale Botwe was critically considered in this study.
The following issues were also raised:
Urbanism displaces some aspects of traditional life
The leasing of lands has expanded the employment base of some traditional peripheral settlements of Accra of which Ashale Botwe is an example
New developments are perceived as opportunities for better planning by residents and officials.
Urban development gives value to land.
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We may look at the history of Ashale Botwe and then later, the issues.
Ashale Botwe village was found by Nii Ashale Botwe, a hunter and a herbalist in about the year 1600. He came from Teshie in Accra in search for fertile land.
There he met the Zambramas’ from Mali and the Mosshi from Burkina Faso. He fought these foreigners and succeeded in driving them away with his magical arts.
Nii Ashale Botwe then came with many sick people who settled with him in the new home. His wife visited him from Teshie occasional but came to stay with him later.
The village was therefore named after Nii Ashale Botwe for his great works.
The area became grounds for rearing animals including cattle, goats and sheep.
Also due to the high fertility of the land, the settlers began to plant crops including okro, pepper and beans. Farming then became a traditional employment for settlers of Ashale Botwe. The land of Ashale Botwe is a family land and the custodian of which is addressed as the chief.
The 1948 population census in Ghana indicated that Ashale Botwe at that time had a population of 117 people.
Soon after independence the Kwame Nkrumah convention Peoples Party (CPP) government sequester part of the Ashale Botwe lands which is presently known as Ashale Botwe New Town for Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation for the purpose of building a water reservoir, as part of the nation building programme.
However, after some technical investigations this plan was later abandoned.
The Ashale Botwe family has now reacquired the land and it is being used for development.
By 1960, the population of Ashale Botwe had increased to 215 persons and there were 33 houses.
The population census programme of 1960 defined a house identical to the definition recommended by the United Nations.
A house or compound is “a structurally separate and independent place of abode.”
Separateness and independence were the essential features, therefore any type of shelter used as living quarters, like a hut or group of huts enclosed as a compound was considered as a house.
The 1970 population census figures indicated that Ashale Botwe had 48 houses with a total population of 383 persons.
Of this number 193 were males and 190 were females.
In 1974 Japan Motors settled on some parts of the Ashale Botwe lands and made efforts to bring electricity to the village but this was rejected by the inhabitants of the village. It should be noted that at that time the influx of newcomers had not yet began, no land had yet been leased out.
Japan Motors’ desire to commence upon an electrification project was solely out of their proximity to the village.
Between 1978 and 1979, the custodians of the Ashale Botwe land saw the need to lease out some lands for development.
Most of these lands for farming had lost their fertility and the climate was also unpredictable and unfavourable.
Productivity in crop farming had gone very low. The traditional leaders saw it necessary to lease out lands for development, considering the opportunities of leasing lands presented by the process of urban expansion and the need to change the employment base of Ashale Botwe.
The lands leased out at that time was in the locality now called Ashale Botwe New Town. However development at that time was at a slow pace.
The traditional village settlement was called Ashale Botwe Old Town.
The new town is on the University of Ghana Agric. Research Institute road and form the approach to the old town.
The Chief of Ashale Botwe at that time ensured a proper layout of the new town area and nobody was allowed to build in an area marked out for road construction or public facilities.
In 1984, the census indicated that Ashale Botwe had a total population of 410 persons resident in both the old and new towns.
Between 1986 and 1987, the custodians again saw the need to lease out some lands around the village settlement (Old Town), due to the lost of fertility of the land and low crop production.
Ashale Botwe New Town and Old Town still remain distinct communities.
The most current information concerning census was that carried out by the Ashale Botwe Assembly in 1991.
We can now loo at the issues raided vis-a-vis the historical development of Ashale Botwe.
Firstly we can look at urbanism displacing some traditional way of life.
Secondly, the leasing of land has expanded the employment base of some traditional peripheral settlements of Accra.
Thirdly, the planners interviewed were sure that the traditional way of life would not survive modern development and this will create opportunities for better planning by both residents and officials.
Finally urbanism gives value to land. The land of Ashale Botwe which was loosing its fertility and for that matter farm benefits was selling between ˘2.500.00 and ˘4,000.00 per plot between 1978 and 1979.
Last updated: 14-08-2002
The Chief was very insistent on a proper layout because most of the developers had not obtained their building permits though they had started putting up buildings.
The developers later formed landlords associations which were responsible for the provision of electricity and water in the area. They advised each October and even contributed towards the opening of streets in the area.
There were 213 males and 197 female. There were 61 housing. In terms of educational facilities, there was a primary school. There was also pipe borne water (one public stand pipe).
There was no clinic nor health post. In the same year an electrification programme was initiated.
Although electrification in the new town had been approved, it had not been lagally approved in the old town at the time of this study.
Soon after 1984, there arose water supply problems in Ashale Botwe Old Town.
The only public pipe in the village broke down. The village settlers depended on ponds for water. Good drinking water was supplied by water tankers under the influence of the Chief and his men.
After some time the tankers were not available and the village settler had to go to the new town for pipe borne water. By that time development had taken a proper shape in the new town.
This is seen as the first opportunity to the village settlers of Ashale Botwe.
The arrival of incomers in the old town brought a lot more extensive development to Ashale Botwe. The incomers formed House Owners Associations which helped to organize and establish services including electricity and water.
At the time of this study the old town had no electricity nor pipe borne water.
The House Owners Associations, with the assistance of the Chief were fighting hard to get electricity to the area.
This innovation was expected to benefit the traditional settlers who were at that time also converting their swish house to cement block houses.
The old town is made up of traditional settler with incomers around and the new town is solely made up of incomers. An incomer interviewed at the pilot stage of this study said the lands were leased out for a period of 50 years subject to renewal.
He further said, the house owners, at the time of forming their associations consulted the Chief and asked them not to call it “Landlords Associations” but rather “House Owners Association” because lands were not bought but leased out to them.
This sensitivity of the terminology of ownership/lease-holding demonstrates that the Ashale Botwe family heads take issues of guardianship of community resources seriously. In this respect Ashale Botwe family heades have ensured proper development of the area;
the elders have specified that a tree be planted by each house owner at a distance of 3 feet from the fence, beside the road.
Dividends from lease of land were used to develop the traditional settlements.
As a the time of this study KVIPs (modern, well ventilated toilet) were built for the village settlers.
It was indicated that Ashale Botwe had 2,500 completed houses (both new and old towns) and 1,700 others not yet to be completed.
More so, some of the traditional swish houses were gradually converting to cement block houses. This innovation was brought by the influence of incomers who had brought modern development.
The traditional swish house were latter seen by the traditional people as out moded and even unsafe to live in them with the influx of the newcomers.
About 77.3% of the traditional settlers in the sample of this study were determined to convert this swish houses to cement block houses.
Though some village settler interviewed were interested in the swish houses they were confident that in the near future their houses would be rebuilt into cement block houses or extensions intended to be made would be in cement blocks.
some settlers said they wished they did extent in cement blocks like some other village settlers are doing but they did not have money.
In this study 21.6% of both traditional settlers and incomers of the sample were engaged in self-employment raging from commerce, masonry, carpentry and fashion.
Before the lands were leased out most of the members of the traditional settlement interviewed if not all, were engaged in farming only.
The traditional settlers have come to accept electricity with new settlers coming in as a result of the urban; unlike in the 1970s when they refused it from Japan motors. More so they are now converting from swish houses to cement block houses.
New developments in Ashale Botwe is associated with proper demarcation of the area. The Chief and planning officials are concerned with regularization and proper registration of land.
With the urban sprawl at the time of this study (1994) a plot at Ashale Botwe was selling at ˘1.5 million and at present it sells at ˘5 million.
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