Evaluating the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 11: A Focus on Sustainable Cities and Communities in Ghana

The United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs) is an ongoing aspiration to enhance places, lives, and the environment by 2030. The primary drivers of the sustainable development agenda are cities and communities. Therefore, this study aims to investigate Ghana’s ongoing efforts to achieve SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, specifically in creating inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and communities. The study adopted document analysis and secondary data from notable sources such as the United Nations, World Bank, Ghana Statistical Service, and other organizations to analyze and interpret the findings. Although some progress has been made to create sustainable cities, especially within two major cities in Ghana, Accra, and Kumasi, most of the targets are unlikely to be achieved by 2030. Specifically, target 11.1 assesses access to appropriate, safe, affordable housing, essential amenities, and upgraded slums. The metric for target 11.1 displayed the percentage of persons living in slums being 57.99%, a significant rise of about 3.24% since 2016. Improvements made to curb the development of slums have been stunted by rapid population growth and urban–rural migration. To attain all requirements and targets of SDG 11, all industry players and government have to collaborate and work expeditiously to reach a satisfactory level of achievement to prepare Ghana for further advancements in creating sustainable and environmentally friendly cities and communities, even after 2030.