Land dispossession and livelihood transformations in peri-urban Accra

Abstract Communities in peri-urban areas of major African cities, such as Accra, are subjected to land speculation and large-scale land acquisition to accommodate the growing urban population. Housing projects developed by real estate developers and private individuals are increasingly emerging on the outskirts of large urban areas, leading to land dispossession. While many studies have examined the financial trajectories, governance structures, rationales and physical spaces of these housing projects, empirical evidence on the livelihood transformations and coping strategies of residents on the urban fringes within specific local contexts remains limited. Building on the concept of accumulation by dispossession, this article argues that expropriating agricultural land, particularly for luxury residential purposes, entails a market-led dispossession that detaches residents from lands that had hitherto served as sources of livelihood. This land dispossession and the subsequent construction of ultramodern housing units are forms of detachment that disrupt land tenure arrangements and transform livelihoods in peri-urban Accra. Since detachment often comes with new forms of attachment, I further show that residents develop new livelihood attachments as they create and capitalize on new opportunities.