12/13/2023 0 Comments Homes for sale upper volta ghanaThey initiated the creation of new political organisations such as the Aborigines Protection Society and had members sitting on the Legislative Council with influential views and ideas on decisions of planning and building regulation. As the first nation in Sub-Saharan Africa to attain self-rule in 1957, Ghana’s long history of missionary education and successful cocoa production for export led to the early emergence of a group of active African elites. Indeed, this radical, progressive edge had long been recognised in the days of the Gold Coast (later renamed Ghana) when it was treated as a ‘pilot colony’ for British West Africa, and where new ideas in planning and housing were first tested. Ghana, as a new nation, was very much a crucible for radical ideas, innovative solutions and creative designs, mixed with a new prospect of international commerce and manufacturing, all fuelled by a political thirst for democratic ‘modernisation’. As elsewhere, the transitional impact from British colonial rule to independence was turbulent. This West African country presented an intriguing set of conditions during its period of transition from a colony to an independent nation in the 1950s and early 1960s. The problem of appropriate and affordable housing became a critical issue in post-war developing countries, particularly in the case of Ghana. The success and level of attachment to this settlement clearly extends beyond its material presence and through the shared experience of helping to cultivate a place of one’s own. By actively developing their own homes, shared spaces and amenities there has developed a strong sense of ownership, community, and identity. Sitting alongside the carefully manicured plan of Akosombo, with its regulated market, excellent health care and desire to set high standards of cleanliness, the Combined Area has not only provided homes for the lower-paid and labouring workers of the town, but has developed over time into a settlement where professionals and retired government workers are also now residing, not out of necessity but by choice. The most successful project to incorporate indigenous agency and true collaboration was the semi-formal ‘Combined Area’ housing at Akosombo, a positive model for shared agency and collaboration in planning, housing, and facilities delivery. The paper traces the complex and controversial history of these schemes, supplemented with findings of several field trips to the settlements in question, to unravel the value of the ‘Core Houses’ approach. Three associated worker housing schemes demonstrated somewhat contradictory design and construction methods, from high specification, extensive amenities, and comprehensive servicing, through to self-build ‘core’ houses amounting to little more than single-room dwellings. The Volta River Project formed part of Kwame Nkrumah’s vision for Ghana’s modernisation and industrialisation in the wake of political independence. This paper investigates the housing schemes proposed in connection with the Volta River Project, Ghana, in the mid-1950s to early 1960s.
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