Conclusion

Accra is facing numerous challenges with respect to traffic flows, pedestrian safety, and informal economic activity. These challenges come to a head in Accra’s intersections, where a variety of actors seek convenient transport, community interaction, and business transactions. Wato and Cathedral Junctions are emblematic of the different intersection ecosystems that exist throughout Accra. Wato, as a community space and gathering point, facilitates a complicated network of traffic, pedestrians, and vendors. Cathedral, meanwhile, serves as a key thoroughfare for Accra’s daily commuters.

While many elements of each intersection support its intended use, damaged or inefficient infrastructure, unclear regulatory environments, and a lack of social safety nets undermine health, safety, and economic prosperity at each site, and throughout the city more broadly. As identified by the WWS team, there are numerous urban design and broader policy solutions that the AMA and supporting institutions can undertake to correct such imbalances. Chief among these solutions are infrastructural upgrades to improve pedestrian safety and policy proposals designed to integrate planning on transportation challenges; generate city-wide data on transportation and livelihood issues; and improve collaboration and communication among government and community stakeholders.

While the outsiders’ perspective brought by the WWS team was conducive to creative thinking on this issue, it is important to highlight that field research was limited in terms of time and scope. This report also does not address details on how to finance design and policy ideas. That being said, the WWS team’s research highlights the deeply interconnected nature of transportation and economic development challenges in Accra. Given the many actors touched by these issues and charged with their improvement, it is crucial that 100RC and the AMA strive to engage all relevant stakeholders in efforts to research and generate design and policy solutions that support Accra’s Resilience Strategy. Only then will current and future efforts that address transportation and mobility issues, as well as informal livelihoods, directly support the capacity of Accra to survive, adapt, and grow, no matter the challenges that lie ahead.