The Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has warned that Ghana’s major cities risk collapse if urgent reforms are not implemented to make them greener, smarter, and more sustainable.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, November 4, during a debate on “Transforming Urban Ghana: Evidence-Based Solutions for Sustainable, Clean, and Resilient Cities,” he said Ghana stands “at a crossroads,” where progress must be redefined beyond skyscrapers and highways to how well the country balances humanity with nature.
“Our cities — once symbols of vitality and promise — are straining under the weight of their own success,” he cautioned, citing congestion, pollution, and neglect in major urban centres including Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, and Tamale.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri noted that urbanisation has outpaced Ghana’s capacity to manage the environmental and infrastructural pressures it creates.
Quoting the Ghana Statistical Service, he said more than 56% of Ghanaians now live in urban areas, with that figure expected to exceed 60% by 2030.
Cities, he added, generate over 70% of Ghana’s GDP but also produce about 12,000 tonnes of solid waste daily, with a significant portion left untreated.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh warned that the consequences of inaction would be dire. “If this trajectory continues unchecked, by 2040, Accra could host more than 7 million people, living amid worsening traffic congestion, frequent flooding, rising temperatures, and declining air quality,” he stated.
The MP drew parallels from global success stories. He cited Kigali’s transformation through strict urban planning and sanitation enforcement; Singapore’s “City in Nature” strategy, which integrates green design into planning; and Copenhagen’s investment in cycling infrastructure that has improved mobility and air quality.
According to him, Ghana can adapt such models to create cleaner, more resilient cities.
“Greening our cities must become a cornerstone of national urban policy,” he urged, suggesting that Metropolitan Assemblies increase tree cover, reserve land for open spaces, and turn flood-prone areas into ecological assets.
He further called for cleaner transport systems, including the electrification of buses, pedestrian-friendly corridors, and modernised tro-tro fleets.
“Cleaner mobility will directly reduce air pollution, improve productivity, and align Ghana’s transport sector with its Paris Agreement commitments,” he said.
Mr. Annoh-Dompreh also advocated structured urban planning to decongest markets and terminals, as well as a shift toward a circular waste economy that recycles and creates green jobs.
“Achieving a 50% diversion from landfill by 2030 is both feasible and economically smart,” he added.
Concluding his statement, he urged Parliament and national leaders to act with vision and discipline.
“If we build without foresight, we will inherit congestion, pollution, and decay. But if we build with purpose — guided by ecological wisdom, justice, and innovation — we will create cities that breathe, move, and heal.”
He ended with a moral reflection: “History teaches us that cities are not merely physical spaces; they are moral statements about who we are and what we value.
“The true greatness of a nation is not found in its monuments of steel, but in the livability of its cities and the sustainability of its soul.”