ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION STATUS, BENEFITS, AND CHALLENGES OF THE LAND USE AND SPATIAL PLANNING ACT (ACT 925) IN THE UPPER WEST REGION OF GHANA

A significant issue affecting land use planning in sub-Saharan Africa is inconsistent and conflicting planning legislation. As a result, Ghana passed the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, Act 925 of 2016, to address the nation's land use and spatial planning issues. Using the case study methodology, the study assesses the Act 925 implementation status, benefits, and challenges in the Upper West Region of Ghana between October 2016 and April 2018. Nine key informants were interviewed between April and June 2018 in the land use planning sector. The primary and secondary data analysis employed content analysis and thematic analysis, respectively. It emerged that besides the official change in the Act and the name of the department responsible for land use planning, there has not been any significant change in the pace, approach, logistics, attitude, and skills of land use planning. The Spatial Planning Committee (SPC) at the Metropolitan, Municipality, and District Assemblies (MMDA) level was yet to be inaugurated. Flouting of building regulations persists. Availability and access to resources; and location of departments and agencies involved in land use planning in different ministries were a challenge to the implementation of the Act. The Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority should assert itself and be adequately capacitated in terms of logistics and requisite personnel to implement the Act effectively. The implementation of physical planning standards and practices should be included as part of the District Assembly Performance Assessment Tool (DPACT) of MMDAs. Keywords: Land Use Planning, Physical Planning, Planning Legislation, Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, Act 925