Transport is all about connecting people to opportunities. Markets, for example, are vital opportunities for communities. They are places where people can access food, work, and connect socially. Yet, in Accra, 61% of the Accra’s population lives in an areas where it is impossible to reach any market on foot within 30 minutes.

Overall, approximately 28% of the Greater Accra population faces difficulty live in areas where it is difficult to in accessing any of these crucial basic services - markets, healthcare facilities and primary schools - , particularly on the periphery. Filling in these accessibility gaps is vital to allow people to accessavail of the full range of opportunities, services, and social networks that their cities have to offer.

Over the past 35 years, Greater Accra has undergone remarkable growth; its built-up area has increased by 400%. Most of this growth resulted in residential developments in peripheral areas. However, this expansion was not accompanied by the co-location of essential services within these residential areas. The result is dense peri-urban residential developments situated far from services, sometimes exceeding nine kilometres. 

Creating proximity between where people live and the location of services can improve accessibility, but it requires effective co-ordination between land-use and transport planning to ensure more effective use of urban space and resources.  

Investing in infrastructure for mass transit and active modes is critical given that 95% of Accra’s population rely primarily on walking and trotros for daily travel. 

In the rapidly expanding built environment, most of the roads on the periphery are unpaved, making it hard to expand the trotro and mass transit systems and creating limited options for walking. Furthermore, extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and intense heat, can have significant impacts on unpaved roads, making them difficult to navigate via any mode. Other infrastructure, such as sidewalks and lighting are also lacking.  

Reallocating roadspace and improving infrastructure to better serve sustainable modes such as public transport and active modes can move more people and take up significantly less roadspace than cars.  Biking also holds immense potential to boost accessibility if infrastructure could be improved.

Accessibility gaps to services disproportionately affect different segments of society based on factors such as gender, income, age, employment status, disability, and social class. Women, particularly those within low-income groups, depend on modes offering the least access to services—walking and trotros.

This hampers their ability to fulfill their multifaceted roles in society as active participants in the labour market and primary caregivers. Caregiving trips, such as escorting children and caring for sick or elderly relatives, constitute a significant portion of women's daily travel. Yet, the transport system is not adapted to accommodate caregiving needs. Women with children, are often denied entry onto trotros and resort to walking long distances, paying for taxis, or relying on private vehicles, exacerbating accessibility challenges.