Neighborhoods of Accra

View of a neighbourhood in Accra

The city of Accra is officially divided into four geographical regions - North, West, East, Central - and eleven sub-metropolitan areas: Osu Klottey, Ablekuma North, Ablekuma South, Ayawaso Central, Ayawaso East, 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]

"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, 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.^[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 ex-patatriates.

1. Victoriaborg
2. East Ridge
3. West Ridge
4. North Ridge
5. Adabraka
6. Asylum Down
7. Airport Residential Area
8. Roman Ridge
9. Kanda
10. Dzorwulu
11. East Legon
12. Kaneshie
13. Kokomlemle
14. Tesano
15. West Legon/Westlands
16. Abelemkpe
17. Cantonments
18. Labone
19. Airport Hills
20. Burma Camp (formerly Giffard Camp)
21. Korle Gonno
22. Dansoman

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. La
12. Lartebiokorshie
13. Accra New Town
14. Maamobi
15. Abeka
16. Lapaz
17. Darkuman
18. Achimota
19. Odorkor
20. Nii Boi Town
21. Akweteyman
22. Mantseman
23. Abossey Okai
24. Mataheko
25. Mamprobi
26. Apenkwa
27. Bubiashie
28. Mpoase

Slums

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

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

• Awoshie

1. Odorgornor

• Airport Hills

1. 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

• Mamprobi

1. New Mamprobi

• Kanda

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. http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/4625_51419_GC%2021%20What%20are%20slums.pdf