Goal
Goal 11 aims to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.”
For Ghana, this means managing rapid urbanization by ensuring access to adequate housing, affordable basic services, and green public spaces. Key priorities include upgrading informal settlements (slums), improving waste management and air quality, strengthening public transport, and making cities resilient to climate change and disasters.
Community Success
This is driven by community-based slum upgrading initiatives and resident associations. These grassroots groups partner with local authorities to improve sanitation, secure land tenure, create green spaces, and advocate for better infrastructure, transforming urban neighborhoods from the inside out.
Key Statistics
| SDG Indicator | Statistic (latest year) | Source & Implication |
|---|---|---|
| 11.5.1 – Deaths/missing/affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 | 1,515 persons affected (2024) | National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO). Tracks the human impact of disasters, informing resilience planning and early warning systems. |
| 11.5.3 – Disruptions to basic services attributed to disasters | Hospitals: 94 Educational Centers: 0 (2024) | NADMO. Highlights the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the focus on protecting essential services during disasters. |
| 11.6.2 – Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in cities | Example: Graphic Road – 267.5 µg/m³ (2023) | Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Reveals severe air pollution hotspots in urban areas, underscoring the urgent need for clean air policies and monitoring. |
| 11.a.1 – National urban policies ensuring balanced development | National Urban Policy Framework adopted (2022) | Ministry of Local Government. Provides a strategic framework for guiding sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban growth. |
| 11.b.1 – Countries with national DRR strategies aligned with Sendai Framework | Disaster risk management integrated into national development plans (2024) | NADMO, 2025 VNR. Demonstrates mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction into core planning, a key step for building long-term resilience. |
| Target | Indicators | |
|---|---|---|
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11.1 By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums |
11.1.1 Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing |
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11.2 By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons |
11.2.1
Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities |
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11.3 By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries |
11.3.1
Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate
11.3.2
Proportion of cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management that operate regularly and democratically |
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11.4 Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage |
11.4.1
Total per capita expenditure on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by source of funding (public, private), type of heritage (cultural, natural) and level of government (national, regional, and local/municipal) |
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11.5 By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations |
11.5.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
11.5.2
Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global domestic product (GDP)
11.5.3
(a) Damage to critical infrastructure and (b) number of disruptions to basic services, attributed to disasters |
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11.6 By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management |
11.6.1
Proportion of municipal solid waste collected and managed in controlled facilities out of total municipal waste generated, by cities
11.6.2
Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities (population weighted) |
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11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities |
11.7.1
Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
11.7.2
Proportion of persons victim of non-sexual or sexual harassment, by sex, age, disability status and place of occurrence, in the previous 12 months |
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11.a Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning |
11.a.1
Number of countries that have national urban policies or regional development plans that (a) respond to population dynamics; (b) ensure balanced territorial development; and (c) increase local fiscal space |
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11.b By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels |
11.b.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
11.b.2
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies |
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11.c Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials |
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Rising Household Access to Basic Services: Between 2010 and 2021, access to electricity in urban areas reached over 90%, and access to improved water sources is near universal at 96% (WHO/UNICEF JMP, Ghana Statistical Service). This shows progress in core urban infrastructure.
Summary: The data reveals that while Ghana’s cities are economic hubs with improving basic service access, they are struggling with the downsides of rapid, unplanned growth. Critical challenges include the widespread prevalence of slums, inadequate waste management, dangerous air pollution, and a severe deficit of green space and formal public transport, all of which undermine urban sustainability and quality of life.