The presence of the past: a retrospective view of the politics of urban water management in Accra, Ghana

Since the 1990s there has been an explosion of literature on the topic of commercialisation of water services in low-income cities. However, relatively little of this research analyzes a longer time perspective. This article historicizes contemporary policy debates on urban water supply and sanitation provision. By examining Ghana’s urban history from British colonial rule to the immediate post-independence era, the article demonstrates that many of the critical issues and arguments that appeared in past debates on water are echoed in contemporary discussions. The much debated issue of pricing of water sparked heated discussions in colonial Accra, thus these debates are not new. Second, whereas much of the literature in the area focuses on commodification of water services in the context of neo-liberalism and economic globalisation since the 1970s, this article points to the important role played by historically conditioned concerns about democracy, representation and trust in deepening our understanding of contemporary protests against private sector participation in urban water management. Third, the article argues that a colonial legacy from the past tends to continue normalising intra-urban inequality in consumption and access to urban water services in Ghana. Taken together this shows the role of history as a highly present and operating force in the shaping of our present-day politics.