Commuting behaviour in Accra's rapidly expanding periphery

Manja Hoppe Andreasen and Lasse Møller-Jensen

Chapter 7 in Handbook of Labour Mobility, 2026, pp 104-119 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The emerging spatial structure of urban areas and lack of efficient connective infrastructures constrain the mobility of workers and their access to economic opportunities within African cities. This chapter examines commuting behaviour of economically active adults residing in Accra's rapidly expanding periphery. Accra offers an illustrative example of a fast-expanding African city, characterized by unregulated residential sprawl and discernible challenges in the transport system. The chapter draws on mixed-methods research conducted in 2019–2022 in 10 peripheral neighbourhoods of Accra. The research reveals that the vast majority of economically active adults commute frequently outside their neighbourhoods, over relatively long distances (10+ km) and to dispersed destinations across the city in order to engage in economic activities. The research further illuminates how the mobility of workers is increasingly constrained in a context of infrastructural deficits, severe congestion, and rising transport costs, which combine to make commuting exceedingly strenuous, time-consuming, and costly.

Keywords: Commuting Behaviour; Mobility; Urban Transport; Urban Expansion; African Cities; Accra (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035331680
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