Gendered (im)mobilities and everyday adaptation in Accra’s informal settlements: rethinking climate governance from below

Climate-induced mobility in African cities is often portrayed as a rational adaptive response to environmental stress, a framing that obscures the gendered, spatial, and institutional forces shaping who moves, who stays, and who is left behind. Using feminist and participatory methods, this study examines women’s experiences in four climate-vulnerable informal settlements in Accra: Agbogbloshie, Chorkor, Glefe, and Odawna. Insights from gender-segregated focus group discussions and key informant interviews reveal that adaptation emerges not from formal planning but through everyday labour, including carrying children through floodwaters, elevating belongings, and maintaining networks of mutual care. Despite being central to household and community resilience, women’s work remains largely invisible to planners. Mobility is seldom protective, while immobility shaped by poverty, caregiving roles, and insecure tenure can heighten risk. Institutional responses remain fragmented and gender-blind, highlighting the need for urban climate governance grounded in feminist ethics and local knowledge.