The Greater Accra Region has the smallest area of

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

's 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of 3,245 square kilometres. This is 1.4 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the second most populated region, before the

Ashanti Region The Ashanti Region is located in southern part of Ghana and it is the third largest of 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of or 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. In terms of population, however, it is the mo ...

, with a population of 5,455,692 in 2021, accounting for 17.7 per cent of Ghana's total population. The Greater Accra region is the most urbanized region in the country with 87.4% of its total population living in urban centres. The

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

city of Greater Accra Region is Accra which is at the same time the capital city of Ghana.

History

In 1960, Greater Accra, then referred to as Accra Capital District, was geographically part of the Eastern Region. It was, however, administered separately by the Minister responsible for local government. With effect from 23 July 1982, Greater Accra was created by the Greater Accra Region Law (PNDCL 26) as a legally separate region.

Geography

Location and size

The Greater Accra Region is bordered on the north by the Eastern Region, on the east by the

Volta Region Volta Region (or Volta) is one of Ghana's sixteen administrative regions, with Ho designated as its capital. It is located west of Republic of Togo and to the east of Lake Volta. Divided into 25 administrative districts, the region is multi-et ...

, on the south by the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is in the ...

, and on the west by the Central Region. It is smallest region of Ghana in total area, and is made up of 16 administrative areas.

Tourism

Parks

* Shai Reserve * Lakeside Marina Park *

Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park The Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and memorial park is located in downtown Accra, the capital of Ghana. History It is dedicated to the prominent Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghan ...

Efua Sutherland Children's Park Efua Sutherland Children's Park (also known as ''Children's Park'') is a public park for children located opposite The National Theatre at West Ridge in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. It was started in 1979 and known as ''Accra Children's P ...

Recreation areas

* National Museum * La Pleasure Beach * Kokrobite Beach * Coco Beach Resort * Cocoloco Beach * Korle Beach Resort * Next Door Beach Resort * Manet Paradise * Ada Paradise Beach * Ningo-Prampram Beach * Rufus Green Parks * Labadi Beach *Laboma Beach *Titanic Beach *Bojo Beach *Sandbox beach Club *Afrikiko *Bloombar

National monuments

* National Theater * Independence Square *

Accra International Conference Center The Accra International Conference Centre is an events venue in Accra, Ghana. Other venues include the Ghana Trade Fair Center and the National Theatre, but the Conference Centre is the most popular due to its size and capacity as compared to th ...

* Center for National Culture

National historic sites

Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum The Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and memorial park is located in downtown Accra, the capital of Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlanti ...

Osu Castle Osu Castle (also known as Fort Christiansborg or the Castle) is a castle located in Osu, Ghana on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa. A substantial fort was built by Denmark-Norway in the 1660s, thereafter the fort changed ownership ...

National Museum of Ghana The National Museum of Ghana is in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. It is the largest and oldest of the six museums under the administration of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB). The museum building was opened on 5 March 1957 as part of ...

Festivals

The

Ga people The Ga-Dangbe, Gã-Daŋbɛ, Ga-Dangme, or GaDangme are an ethnic group in Ghana, Togo and Benin. The Ga and Dangbe people are grouped respectively as part of the Ga–Dangme ethnolinguistic group. The Ga-Dangmes are one ethnic group that lives ...

celebrate the

Homowo Homowo is a harvest festival celebrated by the Ga people of Ghana in the Greater Accra Region. The festival starts in the month of August with the planting of crops (mainly maize and yam) before the rainy season starts. During the festival, ...

festival, which literally means "hooting at hunger." This festival originated several centuries ago. It is celebrated in remembrance of a great famine that hit the Ga people in the sixteenth century. It is mainly a food festival which celebrates the passing of that terrible period in Ga history. It takes place in August every year and is celebrated by all the Ga clans. The Adangbe people from Ada celebrate the

Asafotu {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) Asafotu Festival is celebrated by the Ga-Adangbe people of Ghana and Togo. The Ada/Dangbe East people celebrate Asafotu which is also called 'Asafotufiam', an annual warrior's festival celebra ...

festival, which is also called 'Asafotufiam', an annual warrior's festival celebrated by Ada people from the last Thursday of July to the first weekend of August commemorates the victories of the warriors in battle and is a memorial for those who fell on the battlefield. To re-enact these historic events, the warriors dress in traditional battle dress and stage a mock battle. This is also a time for male rites of passage, when young men are introduced to warfare. The festival also coincides with the harvest cycle, when these special customs and ceremonies are performed. These include purification ceremonies. The celebration reaches its climax with a durbar of chiefs, a colourful procession of the Chiefs in palanquins with their retinue. They are accompanied by traditional military groups called 'Asafo Companies' amidst drumming, singing and dancing through the streets and on the durbar grounds. At the durbar, greetings are exchanged between the chiefs, libations are poured and declarations of allegiance are made.

Other tourist attractions

* Fishing port at Jamestown * Du Bois Memorial Center for Pan-African Culture * George Padmore Research Library on African Affairs * Agblobloshie Market * Makola Market * Trade Fair Center

Governance

The political administration of the region is through the local government system. Under this administration system, the region is divided into 29 MMDA's (made up of 2 Metropolitan, 23 Municipal and 4 Ordinary Assemblies). Each District, Municipal or Metropolitan Area and it's corresponding constituency, is administered by a Chief Executive and a Member of Parliamnet, representing the central government but deriving authority from an Assembly headed by a presiding member elected from among the members themselves. The MMDA's were increased from 3 to 5 in 1988; then from 5 to 6 in 2004; then from 6 to 10 in 2008; then from 10 to 16 in 2012; and recently from 16 to 29 in 2018. The number of constituencies increased/spread from 22 to 27 in 2004 making and 34 prior to the 2012 Ghanaian general election.The current list is as follows:

Demographics

Population

The

center of population In demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to different geogr ...

of the Greater Accra region is located in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area which comprises the Accra Metropolitan, Tema Metropolitan, Adenta Municipal,

La Nkwantanang Madina Municipal District La Nkwantanang Madina Municipal District is one of the twenty-nine districts in Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Originally it was formerly part of the then-larger Ga East District in 2004, until the eastern part of the district was split off to crea ...

Ashaiman Municipal Ashaiman Municipal District is one of the twenty-nine districts in Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Originally it was formerly part of the then-larger Tema Municipal District, which was created from the former Tema District Council, until two parts of ...

, Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal, Ga East Municipal, Ga West Municipal, and Ga South Municipal districts According to the 2010 census, the region had a population of 4,010,054, making it the second most populous (total number of people) region of

behind the

. Owing to in-migration and a high population growth rate, however, the region has the highest

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

in the country.

Ethnicity

The Ga sub-group of the Ga-Dangme people is the historical population of Accra. They form the largest ethnic sub-group in the Greater Accra Region, with 18.9% of the population. The Ga peoples were organized into six independent towns (Accra (Ga Mashie), Osu, La, Teshie, Nungua, and Tema). Each town had a stool, which served as the central object of Ga ritual and war magic. Now, the town of La has a community bank which offers banking services to them. Accra became the most prominent Ga-Dangme towns and is now the heartbeat and capital of Ghana. The Ga people were originally farmers, but today fishing and trading in imported goods are the principal occupations. Trading is generally in the hands of women, and a husband has no control over his wife's money. Succession to most offices held by women and inheritance of women's property are by matrilineal descent. Inheritance of other property and succession to male-held public offices are by patrilineal descent. Men of the lineage live together in a men's compound, while women, even after marriage, live with their mothers and children in a women's compound. Each Ga town has a number of different cults and many gods, and there are a number of annual town festivals. The Adangme people occupy the coastal area of Ghana from Le Kpone to Ada, on the Volta River and South Atlantic Ocean along the Gulf of Guinea and inland along the Volta River. The Adangme People include the Ada, Le Kpone, Krobo, Ningo, Osuduku, Prampram, and Shai, all speaking Adangbe of the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family of languages. The Adangme People have the largest Population among the two related Ga-Adangme People. About 70% of the Greater Accra Regional Land is owned by the Adangmes located in Dangme East and Dangme West Districts of Ghana.

Immigration

1.3% of the inhabitants of the Greater Accra Region are immigrants from outside Ghana. The largest portion of the population of Accra is

Akan Akan may refer to: People and languages *Akan people, an ethnic group in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire *Akan language, a language spoken by the Akan people *Kwa languages, a language group which includes Akan *Central Tano languages, a language group w ...

, at 39.8% of the population. The next largest group is Ga-Dangme at 30.7% of the population. After this 18% of the population is Ewe. The Ga sub-group of the Ga-Dangme people is the historical population of Accra. They form the largest ethnic sub-group in the Greater Accra Region, with 18.9% of the population. The Fante are the next largest ethnic sub-group, with 10% of the population.

Population growth

In 1960 the population of the Greater Accra Region was 491,817. In 2000 the population was 2,905,726. In 2010 the population was 4,010,054.

Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of the Greater Accra region are below: *

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

– 77.8% *

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

–16.2% * Other Religions – 4.6% * Traditional – 1.4%

Transportation

The Greater Accra region is served by the

Kotoka International Airport Kotoka International Airport is an international airport in Accra, the capital of Ghana. The airport is operated by Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), which has its offices on the airport property. It is the sole international airport in ...

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

. The airport offers flight to destinations within Ghana, the African continent and to other continents. Four

National highways National Highways, formerly the Highways Agency and later Highways England, is a State-owned enterprise, government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving Roads in England, motorways and major A roads in England. It al ...

– N1, N2, N4 and N6 – and one Regional highway – R40 – pass through the Greater Accra region. N1 enters the region in Ada to the east and runs west, intersecting the N2 at

Tema Tema is a city on the Bight of Benin and Atlantic coast of Ghana. It is located east of the capital city; Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, and is the capital of the Tema Metropolitan District. As of 2013, Tema is the eleventh most populo ...

, the

Ghana Road Network Roads in Ghana form a network of varied quality and capacity. Responsibility for the road network differs between trunk and non-trunk routes. Trunk roads, which are the most important roads, are administered by the Ghana Highway Authority, which ...

Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, and the N6 at

Achimota Achimota ( ), is a town in the Accra Metropolitan District, a district of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Achimota means "speak no name" in the Ga language Ga is a Kwa language spoken in Ghana, in and around the capital Accra. There ar ...

. It passes through

Kokrobite Kokrobite is a town along the Atlantic coast, to the west of Accra the capital city of Ghana. It is known for traditional sea fishing, its white-sand beaches and its lively nightlife. Kokrobite is a popular destination for tourists, backpackers ...

and exits the region at

Weija Weija is a small town and is the capital of Ga South Municipal District, a district in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Weija has become a hotspot for economic activity because of the ultra modern shopping center, the West Hills Mall The Wes ...

where it continues on through the Central Region to Elubo in the Western region. The N2 crosses the Eastern Regional border into Asikuma and runs north entering the

Upper East Region The Upper East Region is located in north Ghana and is the third smallest of the 16 administrative regions in Ghana. It occupies a total land surface of 8,842 square kilometers or 2.7 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. The Upper East regi ...

, ending at Kulungugu. The N4 heads north from the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, while the N6 originates from Achimota. These highways cut through the northern part of the region and terminate at

Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...

in the

. There is also an active

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

connecting

and

Education

Senior high schools

* Christian Methodist Senior High School * Accra Academy *St. Martins Senior High School * Accra Girls Senior High School * Accra High School * Accra Wesley Girls' High School * Achimota Senior High School * Ebenezer Senior High School * Holy Trinity Cathedral Senior High School * Kaneshie Senior High School * Kinbu Senior High School * Presbyterian Senior High School, Osu * Wesley Grammar Senior High School * St. Mary's Senior High School * St. Margaret-Mary Senior High School * Sacred Heart Vocational Institute * Accra Technical Training Centre * Accra Wesley Girls' Senior High School * Chemu Senior High School * Manhean Senior High School * Tema Senior High School * Methodist Day Senior High School * Presbyterian Senior High School, Tema * Our Lady Of Mercy Senior High School * Tema Technical Institute * Labone Senior High School * Presbyterian Senior High Sch, La * St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High School * Armed Forces Senior High Technical * Amasaman Senior High Technical School * St. John's Grammar Senior High School * Ngleshie Amanfro Senior High School *

Odorgonno Senior High School Odorgonno Senior High School (Great OSSA) is a Ghanaian based senior secondary school. Its motto is ''Nobis Nitendum est'', which is Latin and means ''Ours is to Strive''. As of 2017, it has 2,671 students and 183 staff, including 53 non-teaching ...

* West African Senior High School * Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School, Legon * Ada Senior High School * Ada Technical Institute * Ada Senior High Technical School * Osudoku Senior High School * Ningo Senior High School * Prampram Senior High School * Ashaiman Senior High School * Don Bosco Senior High Technical School * Nungua Senior High School * O'reilly Senior High School * Presbyteian Senior High School, Teishie * Teishie Technical Training Centre * The Morning Star International High School, Dodowa * Kpone Community Day Senior High School * Kwabenya Community Day Senior High School * Frafraha Community Day Senior *

Ghanata Senior High School Ghanata Senior High School is a boarding public senior high school located in Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Founded by Rev. E. Osabutey Aguedze in 1936, initially in Adidome as Gold Coast People's College in the Volta region of Gha ...

Higher education

Greater Accra has three public four-year institutions, the

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...

Ghana Institute of Journalism The Ghana Institute of Journalism is a public university in Ghana. The institute has accreditation from the National Accreditation Board. History The Ghana Institute of Journalism was established on 16 October 1959 by Kwame Nkrumah, the first pr ...

and

University of Professional Studies The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) formerly known as Institute of Professional Studies (IPS), is a public university in Ghana. The main campus is located in Accra. UPSA is the first university in Ghana to provide both academic ...

, East Legon, Accra. In addition, there are number of private universities and university colleges spread through the region. * Accra Institute of Technology, Cantonments, Accra *

Ghana Technology University College Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU) is a public technical university in Accra, Ghana founded in 2005. The school was formerly known as Ghana Technology University College and Ghana Telecom University College. The change in name to G ...

, Tesano, Accra *

Islamic University College Islamic University College, Najah in Iraq is a private university, private Iraqi university established in 2004 in Najaf, Iraq. The university was established in 2004 by Sadiruldeen Al-Gubanchi. The university currently enrolls approximately 7000 ...

, East Legon, Accra
Knutsford University College, East Legon, Accra
* Methodist University College, Dansoman, Accra *

Regent University College of Science and Technology The Regent University College of Science and Technology (often referred to as Regent-Ghana) is located in Accra, Ghana. It was registered in September 2003, and received accreditation to operate as a tertiary institution in 2004. In January 2005 ...

, Mataheko, Accra * Central University, Mataheko/Miotso, Accra * Advanced Business University College, Kaneshie, Accra *

African University College of Communications The African University College of Communications is a private tertiary institution at Adabraka, Accra, Ghana, for the study and teaching of journalism, communication studies, information technology convergence, business, African Studies, provi ...

, Adabraka, Accra *

Wisconsin International University College Wisconsin International University College, Ghana is one of the earliest established private universities in Ghana. It is located at Agbogba Junction near Kwabenya in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. It was established in January 2000 and is ...

, North Legon, Accra *

Valley View University Valley View University is a private university with campuses located at Oyibi (Accra), Kumasi and Techiman (Sunyani) respectively in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Bono East regions of Ghana. It forms part of a worldwide system of over 100 tert ...

, Oyibi, Accra * Regional Maritime University, Nungua *

Pentecost University College The Pentecost University is a private university located at Sowutuom in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. It was founded by The Church of Pentecost (COP) and evolved from The Pentecost Bible College which initially trained only Lay Leaders and ...

, Sowutuom * Jayee University College, McCarthy Hills * Maranatha University College, Sowutuom * University of Applied Management, Ghana Campus, McCarthy Hill 18th Avenue *

Zenith University College Zenith University College is a privately owned university in Ghana established in December 2001. At first Zenith was a tutorial college for some foreign universities. Zenith opened as a tertiary educational institution in November 2005, and was a ...

, LA-Behind Ghana Trade Fair Centre, Accra *

Radford University College Radford University College is a private university in East Legon, Accra, Ghana. It is affiliated with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and was most recently accredited in 2019 by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission. Facu ...

, East-Legon, Accra * University of Professional Studies, Accra East-Legon, Ghana
Webster University, Ghana Campus, East Legon, Accra

Accra College of Medicine, East Legon, Accra

Family Health Medical School, Teshie, Accra

Shopping centres and their locations

* Accra Mall - Tetteh Quarshie Roundabout * Melcom Shopping Centers- Accra Central,Adabraka, North Industrial Area, Spintex, Teshie, La, Dansoman, East Legon, Madina, Fafraha, Achimota, Wejja, Kasoa etc. * Marina Mall - Airport Area * West Hills Mall - Weija * Oxford Street Mall - Osu * The Junction Mall - Nungua * The Achimota Mall - Achimota * A&C Mall - East Legon * The Palace Malls - Spintex, Atomic Junction * The China Mall - Spintex

Sports

Accra Hearts of Oak Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club, commonly referred to as Hearts of Oak or just Hearts, is a professional sports club based in Accra (Greater Accra), Ghana. Founded in 1911, the club is the oldest surviving football club in Ghana and its trad ...

Premier League Football Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Great Olympics Accra Great Olympics is a Ghanaian professional football club based in Accra, Greater Accra. The club is currently competing in the Ghana Premier League. It has won the Ghana Premier League twice, in 1970, 1974 and the Ghana FA Cup thrice, in 197 ...

* International Allies F.C., Division One League *

Liberty Professionals Liberty Professionals Football Club is a Ghanaian professional football club based in Dansoman, Accra. History Liberty Professionals, was founded in 1996 by Accra-based businessmen Felix Ansong and Alhaji Sly Tetteh. The club was one of the earl ...

, Division One League * Tema Youth F.C., Division One League *

Legon Cities F.C. Legon , a suburb of the Ghanaian city Accra, is situated about north-east of the city center in the Accra Metropolis District, a Districts of Ghana, district in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Legon is home to the main campus of the Universi ...

*Accra Lions F.C,

Famous native and resident citizens

References

{{Authority control Regions of Ghana