The Sustainable Cities project in Ghana, implemented by Expertise France and funded by the EU, focuses on 6 fast-growing cities in the North: Tamale (including Sagnarigu), Wa, Damongo, Nalerigu, Yendi and Bolgatanga. The programme aims to support cities in addressing urban challenges related to spatial expansion while promoting sustainable urban development that combines urban governance and inclusive planning. The pace of urban growth in northern Ghana's cities far exceeds planning and urban service capacities. In this context, 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.
This mission brought together a multidisciplinary team of experts from Les Ateliers de Cergy and Expertise France, with diverse profiles: urban planners, architects, and geographers.

The exploratory missions were organized from July 12th to 17th, 2026, taking momentum from the Shaping Greater Tamale workshop. For these field missions, Les Ateliers team focused on two cities for the upcoming International Urban Planning Workshops in Northern Ghana: Damongo, regional capital of the newly created Savannah Region, and Yendi, capital of the Dagbon Kingdom located in Northern Region. Damongo bares a role as regional capital but also as gateway to some of West Africa’s most celebrated natural and cultural assets: the Mole National Park, Ghana’s largest national park, home to a diverse wildlife, and Larabanga Mosque. While Yendi isn’t an administrative capital, it is however the traditional capital of the Dagbon Kingdom. The city benefits from a strategic position at the centre of the Eastern Corridor, which made it grow, by the 18th century, into West Africa’s major trading centre. However, the recent decades of conflict for chieftaincy stalled investment and urban development in Yendi and the city is yet to articulate a strategic vision.

Both cities present different opportunities and challenges: Damongo’s are linked to its new status as regional capital and to tourism development, while Yendi’s are linked to its history and position as nodal city. Yet, they offer a similar interpretive framework with themes like local economic development, access to essential services, adaptation to climate challenges or the inclusion of young people and women.

The exploratory mission’s objective is to lay groundwork for collective reflection on the development of more sustainable, inclusive and resilient cities, in close collaboration with local stakeholders. After building connection with local stakeholders (NGOs, entrepreneurs) and local authorities (Municipal Chief Executive and their municipal team, traditional chiefs), sharing experiences and challenges, the exploratory missions mark a decisive step towards the upcoming International Urban Planning Workshops. Through this approach, the Sustainable Cities project reaffirms the importance of dialogue, international cooperation and local rootedness in addressing contemporary urban challenges.

Following the exploratory mission, Les Ateliers experts work on synthesizing the insights gathered, leading to the production of the topic document, which serves as a call for application for the upcoming workshops.

Mission Members

Les Ateliers expert team:
Horcel Sokeng, architect, urban planner, economist, Les Ateliers expert, Cameroon
Edwin Karanja, urban designer, environmentalist, and lecturer, Les Ateliers expert, Kenya
Francis Dakyaga, Researcher and professor at the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, Wa, and participant in the Tamale Workshop, Les Ateliers expert, Ghana
Simon Brochard, geographer and historian, project director at Les Ateliers, France
Carole Adenka, geographer, project coordinator at Les Ateliers, Togo/France
Abdul-Hamid Abdulai, assistant-pilot, Ghana