Paper short abstract:

This paper is concerned with the politics of land and resource distribution in contemporary urban Ghana. It explores these issues through an examination of the planned eviction of residents in Old Fadama, Accra.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation explores the political economy of involuntary displacement in Ghana's capital city Accra, through an examination of the attempted large scale eviction of the city's largest 'unplanned settlement' Old Fadama. My intention is to unpack and analyze the strategies and tactics employed by key actors (these include Old Fadama's residents, local and national government authorities, the Ga Dagme (an Accra based ethnic group that considers itself to be the 'original' owners of the land the settlement is built on), as well as Non-Governmental Organizations and international solidarity network's such as Shack Dwellers International), to articulate, mediate and defend land and resource claims in the area and analyze the resulting anti-eviction movements.