Problems of Rural Settlers Affected By Urbanization in the Ga East Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

Peri-urban areas as the interface between urban and rural regions are currently experiencing enormous changes due to the extension of urban activities. The rapid growth of newly built environment and the apparent transformations of socioeconomic structure reveal how these areas become contested regions. It is recognized that peripheral areas have many disadvantages to accommodate the agglomeration of urban functions. As a result, the rapid pace of in-migration has been reshaping land-use patterns, economic structures, traditional culture, and neighborhood life. This research aims to identify problems of peri-urban settlers by focusing on the case of the Ga East Municipality of the Greater Accra Region. These concerns are then explored through an investigation on three related phenomena: Problems of peri-urban settlers in relations to a. economic b. social c. cultural Effects of the problems of peri-urban settlers Coping strategies of settlers in peri-urban areas

To research into these variables, the study adopted a cross sectional descriptive analytical survey. The study employed interview schedule and focus group discussion as instruments for data collection. In all, 150 respondents were sampled from three communities in the Ga East Municipality. Based on the analyzed data, this work finds that peri-urbanization in the Ga East Municipality cannot separate itself from impending problems. The problems included; peri-urban settlers had problems with income generating activities. This is attributed to denial of livelihood activities as farmlands are being converted onto housing. Also, social amenities in the communities sampled had inadequate social amenities and this have affected the communities negatively as most youth in the communities have engaged in social vices. Furthermore, indigenous cultural practices have been adulterated due to influence of outside cultures. With regard to the effect of the identified problems, community members have been affected so much that indigenes live in poverty due to inadequate income generating activities. Due to this, most people have resulted in trading to make livelihood as a coping strategy. Understanding the impact of development policy on spatial and socioeconomic change has implications for urban governance and growth management, as well as for future research.