Kofi Kekeli Amedzro is an urban (development) planner who works with the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA, formerly the Town and Country Planning Department, head office) in Accra, Ghana. Kofi is currently on leave and engaged in an urban research work. Kofi holds a BSc in Human Settlement Planning from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and MSC in Urban Development Planning from the University College London (UCL).

Before joining LUSPA, Kofi worked with COWI (Danish International Development Consultancy and Engineering firm) in the preparation of Ghana’s National Spatial Development Framework (2015-2035). Kofi worked on the Ghana Infrastructure Plan prepared by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), which is aimed at guiding major infrastructure development in the next 30 years. Kofi particularly worked on the Human Settlements, education, health infrastructure as well as the correctional facilities sections of the report. He also assisted the Ministries of Works and Housing on developing the implementation plan for Ghana’s current Housing Policy.

Kofi undertakes development and planning consultancy for firms in both firms in Ghana and abroad. Such firms include Maples Consult, JEAVCO Associates, Multiple Linkages Consultancy Limited and Eparque Urban Strategies (in New York). These consultancy falls within the spectrum of spatial plans (Spatial Development Frameworks, Structure and local plans), local economic development plans, baseline and evaluation studies, strategic plans, monitoring and evaluation works, assessment of nationwide urban projects funded by the World Bank and African Development Banks among others. Kofi also provides technical assistance to Ministries, Departments and Agencies and International Development organizations like the UNDP.

Kofi is currently the chairperson of the Big and Spatial Data working group at the Ghana Statistical Service that focuses on tracking some spatially related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Ghana. He is a mentor under British Council Mentorship Programme for Current Commonwealth Scholarship Holders in the United Kingdom. He is a member of Urban Advisory Group, Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development and member of Local Economic Development Technical Committee, of the same ministry.

Kofi’s interest areas spans sustainable urban development, policy formulation and analysis, research, infrastructure planning, project management, strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, local economic development, informal economy (informality) and slum upgrading, climate change, participatory budgeting and local governance, city resilience, disaster and risk reduction, data analysis, production, and visualization.

Kofi has been engaged in discussing topical national planning issues ranging from flooding in Accra and other cities, housing, slum upgrading, participatory planning and budgeting among others.  Some of the links to his discussions are provided below.

https://www.gbcghanaonline.com/news/calls-for-comprehensive-strategy-to-tackle-ghanas-housing-deficit/2019/.

https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Re-engineer-Accra-to-reduce-flooding-Urban-planner-736917#

https://citinewsroom.com/2019/04/re-engineer-accra-to-reduce-flooding-urban-planner/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAZ8jmzydDY&t=9654s

Kofi has published topical urban planning issues in academic journals and book chapters. Some of these publications are presented below.

The emergence of city-regions and their implications for contemporary spatial governance: Evidence from Ghana. Co-authored with Felix Agyemang and Elisabete Silva. Published in Cities Volume 71, November 2017, pages 70-79.

Dynamics of Systems of Secondary Cities in Africa: The case of Cape Coast Municipality. A chapter in a book to be published by African Development Bank and Cities Alliance (Lead Author of the Chapter 7). https://www.citiesalliance.org/resources/publications/book/dynamics-systems-secondary-cities-africa

Croese, S., Robinson, J., Amedzro, K. K., Harrison, P., Kombe, W., Mwathunga, E., & Owusu, G. (2023). Persistent, pragmatic and prolific: Urban master planning in Accra, Dar es Salaam and Lilongwe. Land Use Policy, 133, 106832.