The creation of sustainable cities which is the focus of Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is one of the topmost priorities of the Seven-Year Government of Ghana-European Union (EU) Multi-annual Indicative Program (MIP) launched.
According to the United Nations (UN), making cities sustainable means creating career and business opportunities, safe and affordable housing, and building resilient societies and economies. It involves investment in public transport, creating green public spaces, and improving urban planning and management in participatory and inclusive ways.
UN’s estimates show that by 2050, two-thirds of all humanity—6.5 billion people—will be urban and that sustainable development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way people build and manage the urban spaces.
In Ghana, estimates show that 55% of the total population live in urban areas which results in a huge housing deficit, estimated at 1.8 million housing units. Particularly among the rural-urban migrants, there is a significant population of urban slum dwellers, who form part of the informal sector and subsist on daily earnings that were threatened during the COVID-19 lockdown as government introduced measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic.
The debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on societies across the world and their resultant impact on the progress made with the SDGs to date, have increased the already daunting SDGs financing gap that the developing world has been faced with since the establishment of the Agenda 2030 in 2015.
According to the 2020 SDGs Budget Report, the Government of Ghana spent GH¢855 million in the delivery of programs at both National and District levels under Goal 11 of the SDGs in 2020. In 2019, this amount was GH¢382.2 million. This means the additional support from the EU is particularly important to help drive the creation of sustainable cities in the country under Goal 11.
Other priority areas of the MIP
The other priority areas covered by the program, which spans 2021-2027, are the promotion of Green, Resilient and Inclusive Growth; and Good Governance and Security. These priorities were jointly determined by a team of EU representatives working in close consultation with Government of Ghana officials, civil society representatives and other relevant stakeholders.
At the launch, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, appraised the new indicative program as a developmental guide between Ghana and the EU. He said “This program is a particularly poignant one as it will guide the development cooperation between the Ghana and the EU over the 2021 – 2027 programming period”. Mr. Ofori-Atta emphasized that the new multi-annual indicative program will allow the EU and its member states support Ghana’s development efforts across the “three priority areas”.
It is envisaged that the EU will make available Two Hundred and Three Million Euros (€ 203 million) to Ghana between 2021-2024. The amount is expected to fund and implement programs and projects jointly developed by Ghana and the EU under the agreed priority areas and sectors.
The Minister for Finance also expressed excitement at the prospect of leveraging the technical expertise and technological advances within the EU to close loopholes in the tax system, enhance the transparency of public spending and support business creation. He voiced optimism about the ability of these reforms to open more opportunities, particularly for young people and socially excluded groups.
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