Dark development: Satellite analysis of building density and electricity provision in Ghana’s urban areas

Energy infrastructure is increasingly accessible in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, significant disparities in energy access persist within cities, and little is known about their relationship with urban spatial growth and development. This study explores the spatial distribution of building density and its co-occurrence with electricity infrastructure in metropolitan cities across Ghana. Utilising Landsat and nighttime light satellite imagery, combined with a UNet regression algorithm and a statistical difference method, we uncover energy insufficiencies within high-density built environments in Ghanaian cities. Notably, 21% of the urban area in Kumasi, 9.6% in Tamale, 0.9% in Accra, and 0.5% in Sekondi-Takoradi exhibit high building density but limited electricity provision. This disparity is more prevalent in inland cities with single concentric layout configurations compared to coastal cities characterised by a polycentric high-density. Our findings provide insights into the energy-density relationship, offering a foundation for evidence-based urban policy development aimed at sustainable urban development and equitable access to electricity in Ghana and beyond.We therefore recommend that city governments prioritise the concurrent development of building structures and electricity infrastructure, especially in fast developing regions. • Estimated subpixel building density using a deep learning algorithm. • Characterised inconsistencies between building density and lighting infrastructures. • Ghana’s coastal cities: poly-centric density, inland cities: concentric outward gradient. • Approximately 6% of the cities show high building density with low lighting infrastructures.