Why Evictions Do Not Deter Street Traders: Case Study in Accra, Ghana

William F. Steel · T.D Ujoranyi · George Owusu

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Urban and Rural Development Challenges Urban Planning and Governance Education and Labor Relations

Abstract

Like many major cities in developing countries, Accra faces increasing congestion of vehicles, pedestrians and traders around its central business district. Repeated attempts to evict street traders have proven unsustainable. Using Accra as a case study, this paper investigates the disconnect between urban authorities’ concept of centralized city planning, the rapidly expanding informal economy, and the scope for alternative approaches to accommodate informal workers. Samples of street traders from two markets with high and low risk of evictions are compared to understand their motivations and how evictions affect their choice of location, livelihoods, and willingness to invest in fixed locations. The study finds that, while some risk-averse traders may relocate to outlying markets, many return because profits are higher in the congested areas. One implication is that growing urban centres need improved planning and consultative models to accommodate informal self-employment consistent with both regulatory requirements and workers’ needs. Keywords: Ghana, Hawkers, Informal economy, Integrated urban planning, Public space 1 Adjunct Professor, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, University of Ghana P.O. Box 74, Legon, Accra, Ghana. His email address is as follows: wsteel@alumni.williams.edu 2 Social Performance Manager, Christian Community Microfinance Ltd., Accra, Ghana. His email address is as follows: ujoranyi2@yahoo.com 3 Associate Professor, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, University of Ghana P.O. Box 74, Legon, Accra, Ghana and Head, Department of Geography, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana. His email addresses: gowusu@ug.edu.gh; geowusu@yahoo.com

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References

1990The structural transformation of the public sphere: an inquiry into a category of bourgeois society 2014Rethinking the Public Sphere: A Contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy 1973Informal Income Opportunities and Urban Employment in Ghana 2001Social capital, civil society and development 1989Beyond the State: Civil Society and Associational Life in Africa 1988Rethinking Military Politics: Brazil and the Southern Cone 2007Rethinking the Informal Economy 1999African Christianity: Its Public Role

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