Saltpond is a town and the capital of the Mfantsiman Municipal District in the Central Region of

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

. As of 2013, Saltpond has a population of 24,689 people. Major ethnic groups who lived in the town are the Akan, Ga, Ewe, Ashanti, and Akuapem. Majors economic sectors in the town are

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, fishing,

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...

commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

, and

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

Administration

Economy

Ever since oil was discovered of the shore of Saltpond in 1970, the town is noted for offshore

crude oil Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring u ...

resources. Saltpond Offshore Producing Company Limited, and two joint venture partners operate the Saltpond Oil Field. Besides the petroleum sector, another important economic sector is

. Due to its proximity to the coast, fishing is popular among the population. Beach resorts can also be found all along the coast. Other major economic sectors in Saltpond are

, and

Demographics

Most of the population is religious, coming in with 93.8%, while the other 6.2% aren't affiliated with any religion. The most largest religion in the town is Christianity (84%) in which of this 26.9% are Pentecostal/Charismatic, 23.7% are Protestant, 13% are Catholic, and 21.3 practice other kinds of the religion. Following Christianity is Islam (6.9%), traditional religions (0.8%), and other religions (1.4%). Major ethnic groups who live in the town are the Akan, Ga, Ewe, Ashanti, and Akuapem.

Geography

Saltpond is located in the Mfantseman Municipal which has an area of . The district is bordered to the west by the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District, Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District in the northeast, on the east by Ekumfi District, and the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea (French language, French: ''Golfe de Guinée''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Golfo de Guinea''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Golfo da Guiné'') is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez i ...

by the south.

Climate

Saltpond has a relatively dry

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Aw'') with two rainy seasons: a heavier one from March to July and a secondary wetter period in October and November. Despite the modest rainfall, humidity is high, notably in the shorter dry season centred upon August and September when the cold

Benguela Current The Benguela Current is the broad, northward flowing ocean current that forms the eastern portion of the South Atlantic Ocean gyre. The current extends from roughly Cape Point in the south, to the position of the Angola-Benguela Front in the no ...

extends into the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

. The mean maximum temperatures on a monthly bases ranges around while the mean minimum temperatures are around .

Human resources

Health

The primary hospital in the town is the Saltpond Municipal Government Hospital. It was established in 1920 by Sir Gordon Guggisberg with the purpose of serving officers from the

Ghana Navy The Ghana Navy (GN) is the naval warfare organizational military branch of the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). The Ghanaian Navy, along with the Ghana Army, Ghanaian Army (GA) and Ghana Air Force, Ghanaian Air Force (GHF), make up ...

until it was renovated and transferred to the government in 1951.

Education

One notable educational institution in Saltpond is the Mfantsiman Girls' Senior High School, an all-girls

second cycle 96px, alt=Logo with stylized stars, Logo alt=Map of Europe, encompassing the entire Bologna zone, 256px, Bologna zone The Bologna Process is a series of ministerial meetings and agreements between European countries to ensure comparability in ...

institution and founded by

Kwame Nkrumah Francis Kwame Nkrumah (, 21 September 1909 – 27 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained ...

in 1960.

Notable people

* Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie, Politician, Deputy Minister for Information; Member of Parliament for Ablekuma North constituency *

Ama Ata Aidoo Ama Ata Aidoo (23 March 1942 — 31 May 2023) was a Ghanaian author, poet, playwright, politician, and academic. She was a Secretary for Education in Ghana from 1982 to 1983 under Jerry Rawlings's PNDC administration. Her first play, '' The Dil ...

, Writer and former

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

* Francis Allotey, mathematical physicist. * Edward Benjamin Kwesi Ampah Jnr, Author and politician. Former member of parliament * Kofi Baako, Politician, Minister of State in the first republic * Kwamena Bentsi-Enchill, Academic and judge, Justice of the

Supreme Court of Ghana The Supreme Court of Ghana is the highest judicial body in Ghana. Constitution of Ghana, Ghana's 1992 constitution guarantees the independence and separation of the Judiciary of Ghana, Judiciary from the Legislative and the Executive (governm ...

(1971–1972) * Kwesi Dickson, Theologian, seventh President of the Methodist Church Ghana * Kobina Hagan, politician. Former member of parliament * Kobina Arku Korsah, Jurist, First

Chief Justice of Ghana The chief justice of Ghana is the highest-ranking judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The chief justice is also the head of the Judiciary of Ghana and is responsible for its administration and supervision. In order of state precedence, the chief ...

* J. N. K. Taylor, Judge, Justice of the

(1980–1990) * Kweku Budu-Acquah, Diplomat

References

External links

* * {{Authority Control Populated places in the Central Region (Ghana)