Discover everything you need to know about this city. From transportation to culture to governance, this page gives you all the information you will ever need about the capital. Welcome to accurate and updated data on the city.
Who gave the name Accra?
The word Accra means ants in the local Akan language. Oral traditions state that upon arrival from the sea, the Gas who inhabited Accra, were so numerous that the observers who were Akans remarked that they appeared like ants. The reference later became the name of the city.
The Size of Accra
Accra measures 3,245 square kilometres with a population of 2.5 million residents as at 2024.
What is Accra famous for
Accra has so many attractions for both locals and foreigners alike.
Ghana’s most populous metropolis, which stretches along the Atlantic Ocean, is home to dazzling beaches, imposing structures, galleries, museums, and libraries in addition to traditional markets and a bustling nightlife. Accra’s architecture, which contrasts contemporary skyscrapers with 17th-century castles, is a reflection of the city’s colonial past.
As Accra Ghana underwent transformation, Jamestown district which had originally been a small enclave for the British settlement in Ghana, became the center of business and social life in the new Accra Ghana Several buildings emerged and the area became a business quarters for traders and traders alike. Today, the colonial architecture still stands. There are a lot of posters around. There’s the great Jamestown Cafe and gallery next door for entertainment.
Known by another name, Black Star Square, Independence Square is a huge, empty stretch of concrete that is viewed from observation platforms. The focal point of the square is a massive arch shaped like a McDonald’s, beneath which the Eternal Flame of African Liberation, which Kwame Nkrumah ignited, continues to flame. Apart from certain occasions, it remains deserted for the majority of the year. Super churches occasionally receive permission to deliver sermons here. On the other side of the street is Independence Arch.
The national museum, which is situated in lovely grounds, has top-notch exhibits covering a range of Ghanaian historical and cultural topics. Of special note are the exhibits on the slave trade, ceremonial objects, and indigenous crafts. As of the time of writing, the museum was closed for renovations and was expected to reopen in 2017.
Originally known as Christiansborg Castle and constructed by the Danes in 1659, Osu Castle served as the seat of government until 2013, when the president and his staff relocated to Flagstaff House. It is currently closed to visitors, and taking pictures is prohibited.
Labadi Beach is opulent, well-equipped, and stunning in addition to being well-equipped. The Labadi Beach Hotel, which is close to the well-known Labadi Beach, is a great option for those who wish to see Accra. It’s interesting that the hotel casino is up for business. Many travelers have a fondness for this hotel.
Residences
There isn’t much space for expansion in almost all low-income neighborhoods due to development. The inner city regions are most affected by this. African citizens as well as families involved in commerce, administration, and the arts predominate in Accra’s middle-class neighborhoods.
State, parastatal, and private sector entities, as well as private people, have supplied a large portion of the housing in these locations. Some of the middle-class neighborhoods are Abelempke, Achimota, Adenta, Kanda Estates, North Kaneshie Estates, Dansoman Estates, and Asylum Down.
These neighborhoods require infrastructure services even though, in contrast to low-income neighborhoods, they are often planned constructions. Better-quality building supplies and overall dwelling conditions are available. Of all the people living in the city, 32% are Ghanaian residents who belong to the middle-income group.
The low-income regions of Accra Ghana stand in stark contrast to these planned communities with their well-developed infrastructure, vast layouts, and beautifully maintained grounds. Sandcrete blocks are typically used in the construction of buildings, which also feature asbestos or aluminum roofing sheets for the walls and roof.
Additionally, there are affluent periphery communities like
- Mallam
- Adenta
- Taifa
- Kwabenya
- Haatso
where engineering infrastructure development is still ongoing. These regions grew before the infrastructure, but in 2012, dual carriageway road development was also expected to be finished and the Achimota-Ofankor controlled-access highway was set to open in May. Cement makes up the external walls of 84.4% of the dwellings in the Accra Metropolitan Area. of a same vein, cement makes up 99.2% of the floor materials of Accra residences.
The administrative set up of the City
Ghana’s capital city, Accra, is located in the Greater Accra area, which is the country’s smallest area. With its founding in 1877, Accra is home to more over two million people. Three additional rural districts support the region in addition to the commercial hub of Accra and the seaport of Tema.
There are two layers of Accra administration. District authorities work together to coordinate strategic initiatives like the urban transportation project, while local government authorities handle local administration and are in charge of the majority of local services like road maintenance, local planning, and refuse collection within their jurisdiction. Prior to 2008, the Accra Metropolitan District’s territory was divided into 13 distinct local government districts.
These districts are each run as municipal assemblies, each with a town hall and a municipal executive chosen by the president of the republic. The majority of local services, including garbage collection and local planning, are under the jurisdiction of each municipal assembly.
Traditions and Customs
The Homewood festival is observed by the Ga people, whose name translates as “hooting at hunger.” The origins of this festivity date back several centuries. It is commemorated in memory of the devastating hunger that the Ga people experienced in the sixteenth century.
It is primarily a culinary celebration honoring the end of that dark chapter in Ga history. Every Ga clan celebrates it, and it happens in August each year. The Asafotu festival, is an annual warrior’s festival observed by the Ada people from the last Thursday of July to the first weekend of August. It honors the warriors’ victories in combat and serves as a memorial for those who lost their lives in battle.
The warriors perform a fictitious fight while dressed in traditional combat gear to recreate these historical occurrences. Male rites of passage also take place at this period, when young males are initiated to combat. These unique rituals and ceremonies are carried out throughout the festival, which also falls in line with the harvest cycle. Among them are rituals for purification. The chiefs’ durbar, a vibrant parade of them in palanquins, is the culmination of the festivities.
Society and Culture
The industry and commercial sectors of Accra Ghana witnessed fast industrialization and growth between 1960 and 1970. This resulted in a high rate of population expansion due to the strong rural-urban migration to the metropolis. The declining growth rate during the 1970–1984 intercensal years indicates that Accra’s population growth was hindered by the economic standstill that Ghana experienced during the 1970s.
But later, as Ghana’s rural towns saw a drop in agriculture and urban areas saw an increase in industrialization, the late 1980s saw a boom in the service sector, and immigration to Accra was driven once more. The Greater Accra region’s reliance on the Accra Metropolitan Area as its administrative, educational, industrial, and economic hub remains the primary driver of population expansion.
Certain areas of Central Accra are made up of both high-density development and overstretched infrastructure services, as well as extremely low-density development with underutilized service infrastructure. Some of the older settlements in Accra have been neglected as a result of the city’s growth, while attempts are being made to build the infrastructure and services needed to meet the demands of middle-class residents in the newly developed suburban districts. There is hardly enough infrastructure in Accra to accommodate the residential expansion on the outskirts.
There are also a lot of unfinished homes scattered throughout Accra Ghana that are undeveloped land that are sometimes the focus of legal disputes since their owners, who are typically organizations or private persons, lack the resources to finish or develop them.