{"id":101975,"date":"2025-11-05T04:48:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T04:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=101975"},"modified":"2025-11-05T04:48:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T04:48:00","slug":"our-cities-are-at-breaking-point-annoh-dompreh-warns-of-urban-collapse-without-green-smart-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=101975","title":{"rendered":"Our cities are at breaking point \u2013 Annoh-Dompreh warns of urban collapse without green, smart reforms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has warned that Ghana\u2019s major cities risk collapse if urgent reforms are not implemented to make them greener, smarter, and more sustainable.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, November 4, during a debate on \u201cTransforming Urban Ghana: Evidence-Based Solutions for Sustainable, Clean, and Resilient Cities,\u201d he said Ghana stands \u201cat a crossroads,\u201d where progress must be redefined beyond skyscrapers and highways to how well the country balances humanity with nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur cities \u2014 once symbols of vitality and promise \u2014 are straining under the weight of their own success,\u201d he cautioned, citing congestion, pollution, and neglect in major urban centres including Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, and Tamale.<\/p>\n

The Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri noted that urbanisation has outpaced Ghana\u2019s capacity to manage the environmental and infrastructural pressures it creates. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

Cities, he added, generate over 70% of Ghana\u2019s GDP but also produce about 12,000 tonnes of solid waste daily, with a significant portion left untreated.<\/p>\n

Read also: Transforming Urban Ghana: Evidence-based solutions for sustainable, clean, and resilient cities<\/p>\n

Mr Annoh-Dompreh warned that the consequences of inaction would be dire. \u201cIf 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,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

The MP drew parallels from global success stories. <\/p>\n

He cited Kigali\u2019s transformation through strict urban planning and sanitation enforcement; Singapore\u2019s \u201cCity in Nature\u201d strategy, which integrates green design into planning; and Copenhagen\u2019s investment in cycling infrastructure that has improved mobility and air quality.<\/p>\n

According to him, Ghana can adapt such models to create cleaner, more resilient cities. <\/p>\n

\u201cGreening our cities must become a cornerstone of national urban policy,\u201d he urged, suggesting that Metropolitan Assemblies increase tree cover, reserve land for open spaces, and turn flood-prone areas into ecological assets.<\/p>\n

He further called for cleaner transport systems, including the electrification of buses, pedestrian-friendly corridors, and modernised tro-tro fleets. <\/p>\n

\u201cCleaner mobility will directly reduce air pollution, improve productivity, and align Ghana\u2019s transport sector with its Paris Agreement commitments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

\u201cAchieving a 50% diversion from landfill by 2030 is both feasible and economically smart,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Concluding his statement, he urged Parliament and national leaders to act with vision and discipline. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf we build without foresight, we will inherit congestion, pollution, and decay. But if we build with purpose \u2014 guided by ecological wisdom, justice, and innovation \u2014 we will create cities that breathe, move, and heal.\u201d<\/p>\n

He ended with a moral reflection: \u201cHistory teaches us that cities are not merely physical spaces; they are moral statements about who we are and what we value. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"OurMinority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has warned that Ghana\u2019s major cities risk collapse if urgent reforms are not implemented to make them greener, smarter, and more sustainable.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[340,11908,1883,10,9,1887],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-frank-annoh-dompreh","category-green-cities","category-national","category-politics","category-popular","category-top-story"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=101975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101975\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=101975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=101975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=101975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}