Urban Economic Participation and Survival Strategies in Ghana: 1960–1984

The urban center has become an important arena of economic participation for increasing numbers of Sub‐Saharan Africans. Because of problems associated with censuses, economic assessment of participation rates, proportions employed, unemployed and underemployed and their temporal and spatial variations are unreliable for most countries. In addition, die relationship between changes in national economies, economic participation and survival strategies to combat changes are not fully appreciated. This article demonstrates that changes in Ghana's post‐independence economy have influenced urban participation. It identifies survival strategies that have been adopted by urban residents to combat changes in national economy, and also investigates temporal and spatial variations in urban participation. Explanation for spatial variations in urban participation are traced to the context of urban growth and development in different parts of die country. Planning implications for the economic health of towns in the country and their residents are discussed. The article concludes with general lessons for Sub‐Saharan Africa.