Shaping Greater Tamale: Toward a planned and resilient metropolis is a workshop within the framework of the Sustainable Cities project funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France through the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftancy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA). The project supports six rapidly growing cities in Northern Ghana (the Greater Tamale Area - including Sagnarigu, Wa, Damongo, Nalerigu, Bolgatanga and Yendi) in advancing sustainable urban development and addressing the pressures of rapid spatial growth and climate change. In this context of urban challenges related to spatial expansion, Expertise France called on Les Ateliers de Cergy to support the operational implementation of one of the project's components focused on integrated urban planning, particularly through assistance in preparing planning documents.

“Shaping Greater Tamale” is the first in a series of international urban workshops that Les Ateliers de Cergy will organize across Northern Ghana. From June 29 to July 9, 18 local and international professionals from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Portugal, France, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Uganda and from a wide range of disciplines took part in the collective workshop to develop localized strategic and innovative proposals for a Greater Tamale.

After 10 days of intensive work made of field visits, stakeholder meetings and teamwork, the three multidisciplinary teams presented their final proposals before the jury composed of MCEs from all 7 cities targeted cities as well as their physical planners and a selected panel made of elected officials, Ghanaians, and international experts, traditional chiefs, and partners. The workshop’s proposals are presented on July 7, 2026, at Tamale Metropolitan Assembly Hall.

The Restitution Day began with welcome remarks from Hon. Abubakari Takoro, MCE for Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, followed by introduction remarks from Simon Brochard, director of project of Les Ateliers de Cergy. Owusu Amponsah, Component 2 Lead for Expertise France provided a project overview and focus on Component 2 of the Sustainable Cities Project. The co-pilots of the workshop, Hanaà Msallak and Craig Kensley, presented the topic and the major challenges of the workshop.
Following this introductory session, the three teams presented their proposals. Each proposal was strong and highly complementary, tackling urban planning through the lenses of water, waste, and economic development. The exchanges were rich, and they opened valuable perspectives for how these lessons can feed into the broader urban planning process.

Restitution Day was followed by a Lesson Day on July 8, 2026, a dedicated work phase bringing together representatives of the six cities of the Sustainable Cities project. The Lesson Day was held at Red Clay Studio, an art space established by internationally acclaimed Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama. This work phase allowed the 6 city representatives to discuss further the workshop proposals key finding while laying the foundations for future activities and workshops in each of the cities. This day of exchange marked the closing of the workshop, with the traditional diploma ceremony for the participants and the coordination team to celebrate their participation.

Towards the end of 2026, Les Ateliers will continue its reflections on the cities of Northern Ghana with a series of workshop to be held in Yendi and Damongo. These workshops will build on the insights and outcomes of the Greater Tamale workshop, further advancing discussions on sustainable urban development and locally adapted planning strategies across the cities of Northern Ghana.

Find out more about the workshop’s process and the final proposals in the session booklet, available on the dedicated workshop page.

Write to ghana@ateliers.org for further information.

Les Ateliers warmly thanks Red Clay Studio for their generous hospitality.