Commons are widely studied for their ability to govern resources beyond state or market control without leading to depletion (Ostrom 1990). Feminist and political economy research highlights commoning as a challenge to neoliberalism and a path to equitable social relations (Linebaugh 2008; Caffentzis & Federici 2014; Huron 2015; De Angelis 2017). Yet, empirical studies on urban commons in the Global South remain scarce. In rapidly urbanising Africa, this gap overlooks critical knowledge, particularly given West Africa’s history as a central site of racialised enclosure and commodification, as well as counter-hegemonic resistance.
This paper examines the governance, motivations, and societal impacts of marginalised groups—including women and youth—commoning resources such as land amid increasing commodification. Using a feminist political ecology framework and a Black feminist approach, we investigate how collective action emerges and how intersecting identities (e.g., class, race, age, marital status) shape access to and visions for urban commons in multiple sites in Ghana. Our central question: How does urban commons governance both reproduce and challenge hierarchical power dynamics and social inequities?
Three case studies ground this study. The first explores a widows’ farming and shea-processing collective in Bolgatanga, where landless women mobilise rotational savings, cooperative farming, and advocacy to navigate exclusion from landholding and markets. The second examines a Ga youth-led beach cleanup in Accra, where volunteers reclaim coastlines from ecological degradation and commercial encroachment. The third examines a volunteer group of professionals who clean drains to mitigate flooding and mobilise self-organisation.
Findings suggest that in neoliberal city-making, commoning arises from material necessity, exclusion, and solidarity-building, shaped by the social dimensions of customary tenure systems. Rather than existing outside dominant structures, commoners navigate state, market, and traditional institutions, revealing constraints and opportunities for alternative social infrastructures. These efforts underscore commoning’s role in securing livelihoods and challenging unequal urban resource management.
