Neighborhoods of Accra

The city of Accra is officially divided into five geographical regions - North, West, East, Central and south - and eleven sub-metropolitan areas: Osu Klottey, Ablekuma North, Ablekuma South, Ayawaso Central, Ayawaso East, Ayawaso North, Ayawaso West, La, Okaikoi North, Okaikoi South, Abossey Okai, and Ashiedu Keteke. The word "neighborhood" can take on various official and unofficial meanings. There are, however, 50 official neighborhoods (i.e. planned and unplanned anchor neighborhoods) within the city limits of Accra.[1]

View of a neighbourhood in Accra

"Neighborhoods" exist on both large and small scales. Osu, Jamestown and Usshertown, established during the colonial era have well-defined boundaries by virtue of their siting around the respective forts of Christiansborg, James Fort, and Ussher Fort. The unplanned nature of the city has resulted in the development of slums and much smaller communities within officially recognized neighborhoods with a well-defined center but poorly identified extremities.

Overview

Accra's expansion has influenced the naming of certain neighborhoods, such as the Airport Residential Area, North Ridge, East Ridge, West Ridge, West Legon/Westlands, East Legon, and Korle Gonno.

Accra Central

Downtown Accra is the site of the Ministries, and the districts of Victoriaborg, West Ridge, and East Ridge.

Surrounding downtown are the neighborhoods of the Adabraka, Asylum Down, Jamestown, Swalaba, North Ridge, Tudu and Christiansborg/Osu. Osu-RE to be precise is arguably the liveliest part of Accra and the most preferred hang-out spot for tourists visiting the city.[2]

Accra North

North of downtown, the neighborhood of Airport Residential Area, so named because of its location near the Kotoka International Airport, is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Accra.[3] East Legon and West Legon/Westlands are also wealthy neighborhoods inhabited by wealthy Ghanaians, academics, government officials, and ex-patriates.[4] Other neighborhoods located in the expansive northern section of Accra are Roman Ridge, Kanda, Dzorwulu, East Legon, Kaneshie, North Kaneshie, Accra New Town, Nima, Kokomlemle, Tesano, Maamobi, Alajo, Christian Village, Apenkwa, Darkuman, Awoshie, Avenor, Kwashieman, Achimota, Bubiashie, Kotobabi, Abelemkpe, Bawaleshie, and Abeka.

Accra West

West of downtown are the neighborhoods of Korle Gonno, Lartebiokorshie, Abossey Okai, Mataheko, Mpoase, Chorkor, Dansoman, Mamprobi, and Odorkor. Dansoman is Accra's largest neighborhood and predominantly a working-class community considered to be Accra's most diverse. However it is stated emphatically and well documented that Mamprobi is not part of Dansoman and still remains a controversial topic [5] Korle Gonno borders Korle-Bu Hospital, which doubles as the teaching hospital of the University of Ghana.[6]

Accra East

East of downtown are the neighborhoods of Cantonments (the site of the U.S. Embassy in Ghana), Labadi, La, Burma Camp, and Airport Hills.

Neighborhood areas

Following the years of Accra's prosperity after World War II, and Kwame Nkrumah's emphasis on the development of Accra and its immediate environs after independence, Accra was the favored destination for job-seeking migrants.[7] This phenomenon brought about the development of unplanned communities on the periphery of the limits of Accra at the time. Over the years, these suburban areas were absorbed into the urban area of Accra and created a dichotomy between planned and unplanned settlements within the city.

Planned neighborhoods

Currently, most of Accra's 22 planned neighborhoods were developed in the colonial era and are inhabited by rich Ghanaians and expatriates.

  1. Victoriaborg
  2. East Ridge
  3. West Ridge
  4. North Ridge
  5. Adabraka
  6. Asylum Down
  7. McCarthy Hill
  8. Airport Hills
  9. Airport Residential Area
  10. Roman Ridge
  11. Kanda
  12. Dzorwulu
  13. East Legon
  14. Kaneshie
  15. Kokomlemle
  16. Tesano
  17. West Legon/Westlands
  18. Abelemkpe
  19. Cantonments
  20. Labone
  21. Burma Camp (formerly Giffard Camp)
  22. Chorkor
  23. Mamprobi
  24. Korle Bu
  25. Korle Gonno
  26. Lartebiokorshie
  27. Mataheko
  28. Dansoman
  29. Adenta

Unplanned neighborhoods

Given the disproportionate rate of expansion of the city and the provision of basic infrastructure and services, unplanned neighborhoods are characterized by poor road networks, poor drainage systems, and insufficient water and electricity services. Although not mutually exclusive, these unplanned settlements can be further distinguished from slums, where a slum is defined as a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security.[8] For purposes of this article, a slum will further be categorized as an area of severely low income where working migrants living in makeshift accommodations are the majority.

  1. Agbogbloshie
  2. Nima
  3. Kpehe
  4. Awoshie
  5. Alajo
  6. Avenor
  7. Kotobabi
  8. Bawaleshie
  9. Christian Village
  10. Pig Farm
  11. Accra New Town
  12. Maamobi
  13. Abeka
  14. Lapaz
  15. Darkuman
  16. Achimota
  17. Teshie
  18. Odorkor
  19. Nii Boi Town
  20. Akweteyman
  21. Mantseman
  22. Abossey Okai
  23. Apenkwa
  24. Bubiashie
  25. Mpoase

Slums
  1. Agbogbloshie]
  2. Sabon Zongo
  3. Old Fadama (Sodom and Gomorrah)
  4. Lavender Hill (Accra)
  5. Abuja
  6. Chemuna
  7. Gbegbeyise
  8. Chorkor

List of communities within neighborhoods

Within some of the neighborhoods in Accra are smaller communities listed below. Taking into account the slums, communities, planned and unplanned neighborhoods, unofficially there are approximately 120 neighborhoods within the city limits of Accra.

  • Victoriaborg
  1. Ministries
  2. Kinbu
  • East Ridge
  1. Gold Coast City
  • West Ridge
  1. Ambassadorial Enclave
  • Usshertown
  1. Makola
  2. High Street
  3. Rawlings Park
  • Osu
  1. Ringway Estates
  2. Kuku Hill
  3. Osu-Ako Adjei
  4. Osu-Alata/Ashante
  5. Osu-RE
  6. Osu Kinkawe
  • Cantonments
  1. El-Wak
  2. East Cantonments
  • Airport Residential Area
  1. Airport City
  2. HIPC Junction
  3. Spintex
  • Adabraka
  1. Circle
  2. Odawna
  3. Sabon Zongo
  • Dansoman
  1. Russia
  2. Sahara
  3. Sukura
  4. Shiabu
  5. Dansoman Estates
  6. Santa Maria
  7. Old Dansoman
  8. Dansoman Amanhoma
  9. SSNIT Flats
  10. Akokorfoto
  11. Tweneboa
  12. Sakaman
  • Kaneshie
  1. Awudome
  2. First Light
  3. North Kaneshie
  4. Kwashieman
  • West Legon/Westlands
  1. Kisseman
  2. Christian Village
  3. Haatso
  • Abelemkpe
  1. Old Abelemkpe
  2. New Abelemkpe/Abelemkpe Forest
  • Airport Residential Area
  1. Legion Village
  2. East Airport
  3. Villagio
  4. Manet
  • Usshertown
  1. Okaishie
  2. Tudu
  • East Legon
  1. Shiashie
  2. Bawaleshie
  3. South Shiashie
  4. Okplongo
  5. Adjiriganor
  6. Nmai Djorn
  1. Odorgornor
  2. Regimanuel Estates
  • Lartebiokorshie
  1. Zoti Area
  • Odorkor
  1. North Odorkor
  2. South Odorkor
  3. Official Town
  • Labadi
  1. South Labadi
  2. Labadi-Aborm
  • Tesano
  1. South Tesano
  • Teshie Nungua
  • Mamprobi
  1. Mamobi
  2. Nima
  3. New Mamprobi
  • Kanda 441
  1. Kanda Estates
  2. "37"

References
  1. "Accra Metropolitan", Ghana Districts.
  2. Osu.
  3. "Airport Residential Area", Wanted in Africa.
  4. "Where to live in Accra", Wanted in Africa.
  5. "Areas in Accra - Dansoman", Wanted in Africa.
  6. Korle Gonno.
  7. Anthony Gambrah, "Regulation of housing and Services for the Urban Poor: A Case Study of Accra, Ghana" (M.Sc. thesis), University of British Columbia, August 1994.
  8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-02-06. Retrieved 2010-12-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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