From fragmented drainage interventions to integrated urban flood management: Evidence from Accra, Ghana

Source abstract

Urban development in the Global South has often been associated with large-scale infrastructure interventions promoted by international development institutions, yet their applicability and effectiveness in informal settlements remain contested. This paper critically examines how infrastructure interventions of varying scales are conceptualized, planned, and implemented by tracing infrastructural interventions along the Nima Stream in Accra, Ghana. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and documentary analysis, the study reflects on how large-scale, externally supported projects have evolved over time, their institutional and socio-spatial impacts, and their limitations in addressing systemic urban flooding and informality. By examining the historical Nima Drain alongside the ongoing Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development Project (GARID), which represents a comparatively large-scale and more integrated intervention, the paper argues that infrastructure interventions should not be treated as singular technical solutions but as context-dependent interventions embedded within broader governance arrangements. The findings suggest that sustainable urban transformation in informal settlements depends less on project scale and more on ordinary governance, institutional coordination, and sustained engagement with local communities.