After the six other regions were added to the ten regions in Ghana, making it sixteen regions, I doubt if we have had the time as Ghanaians to study them and know their capitals. Gone are the days when we used to sing the “then ten” regions of Ghana as a song, making sure it got stuck in our memories.
Formally, we could memorize the regions in Ghana using the song, but now I cannot tell if that tradition still holds.
How the former Ten Regions Came about In Ghana.
Now, one may ask how the ten regions of Ghana came about before they were later made into sixteen regions.
In 1957, during the independence era, the Northern Territories and Trans-Volta, the “Gold Coast,” came together to form Ghana. There were only five regions by then. Tran-Volta Togoland, part of the Eastern Region and Northern Territories, was added to form the Volta Region
On April 4, 1959, the Ashanti Region was officially divided into Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions based on Brong Ahafo Act No. 18 of 1959, under which the Brong Ahafo movement was in campaign. This brought about the separation of the Brong Ahafo Region from the Ashantes.
On Republic Day, July 1, 1960, the regions were raised to seven after the Northern Region was divided into the Upper Regions.
During the Second Republic, the Western Region was divided into the Western and Central Regions, which brought the region to eight. This was done before the 1970 Ghanaian population census.
A year later, in 1971, Sekondi was merged with Takoradi, which brought about Sekondi-Takoradi and formed the capital town of the Western Region.
Between December 1981 and January 1993, the then PNDC was the military government in power. During the promulgation of the Greater Accra Law (PNDC 26) of July 23, 1982, the Greater Accra Region was formed, creating the Accra Capital District.
They made Accra the capital, which was part of Ada Local Council.
They were both found in the Eastern Region. In the following year, 1983, the upper region was divided into the Upper East Region and the Upper West Region, bringing a total of ten regions.
Added Six Regions, Making it Sixteen (Current Regions In Ghana).
The regions of Ghana are one of the most important things and the first level of territorial division of government administration within the Republic of Ghana.
Apparently, sixteen regions in Ghana are divided for administrative purposes into 260 local metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies.
This was made possible after a referendum was passed on December 27th, 2018 as to whether the six regions should be added or not. The six other regions were added after it was approved.
This brought about the sixteen regions in Ghana, which are:
Regions | Capitals |
Upper East Region | Bolgatanga |
Upper West | Wa |
The Bono East | Techieman |
The Savannah | Damango |
The Bono Region | Sunyani |
The Northern Region | Tamale |
The Northern East | Greater Accra Region |
The Oti Region | Dambai |
The Ahafo Region | Goaso |
The Ashanti Region | Kumasi |
The Western North Region | Sefwi Wiaso |
The Western Region | Takoradi |
Central Region | Cape Coast |
Eastern Region | Koforidua |
Volta Region | Ho |
Greater Accra Rgion | Accra |
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