Western Region (Ghana)

The Western Region is located in south Ghana,^[4] spreads from the Ivory Coast (Comoé District) in the west to the Central region in the east, includes the capital and large twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi on the coast, coastal Axim, and a hilly inland area including Elubo. It includes Ghana's southernmost location, Cape Three Points, where crude oil was discovered in commercial quantities in June 2007. The region covers an area of 13,842 km², and had a population of 2,060,585 at the 2021 Census.^[2]

Western Region
Region
Beach near Sekondi-Takoradi
Coordinates: 5°30′N 2°30′W
Country	Ghana
Capital	Sekondi-Takoradi
Districts	22
Government
• Regional Minister	Hon. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah[1]
Area
• Total	13,842 km2 (5,344 sq mi)
• Rank	Ranked 4th
Population  (2021 Census)[2]
• Total	2,060,585
• Rank	Ranked 6th
• Density	150/km2 (390/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)
• Year	2013
• Per capita	$5,150
GDP (Nominal)
• Year	2013
• Per capita	$2,500
Time zone	GMT
Area code	031
ISO 3166 code	GH-WP
HDI (2022)	0.648[3] medium · 3nd

The Western Region enjoys a long coastline that stretches from South Ghana's border with Ivory Coast to the Western region's boundary with the Central Region on the east.

The Western Region has the highest rainfall in Ghana, lush green hills, and fertile soils. There are numerous small and large-scale gold mines along with offshore oil platforms dominate the Western Region economy.

The culture is dominated by the Akans; the main languages are Akan, French and English.

Tourism

The largest rivers are the Ankobra River, the Bia River, and the Pra River in the east, with the Tano River partly forming the western national border. The area is known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the village of Nzulezo built entirely on stilts and platforms over water^[5] and the Ankasa Protected Area. There is a series of imposing Portuguese, Dutch, British, and Brandenburgian forts along the coast, built from 1512 on.

The Dialect/Ethnic group popularly known in the Western Region is Nzema, the beaches of Nzema have become a getaway/vacation/resort destination for a lot of tourists (local and foreign) to experience true Nzema Hospitality. Amongst the top resorts along the coast of Nzema are Venice View Beach Resort, Located in a small town called Baku (also sometimes known as Beku) about 8 minutes drive from Eikwe. Along these beaches are other destinations such as the Fort Apollonia located at Beyin.

Also there is a beach tourist attraction village called Busua, with the biggest tourist resort in the region which has a beach suitable for surfing. On the east there is a small fishing village called Butre with a beach, a lagoon and several tourist resorts. The old language in these parts is Ahanta, most people speak Fanti.^{[citation needed]}

Education

The Western region has many post-secondary schools, including teachers' and nursing colleges, and two universities--University of Mines and Technology (in Tarkwa) and Takoradi Technical University (formerly known as Takoradi Polythecnic.

Administrative divisions

Before the regional demarcation in December 2018,^[6][7] the region had 23 MMDA's (made up of 1 Metropolitan, 11 Municipal and 11 Ordinary Assemblies). Therefore, as part of this reorganisation, nine MMDA's (those in bold and asterisks below, which were 3 Municipal and 6 Ordinary Assemblies) were removed from the Western Region and formed into a new Western North Region with its new capital at Wiawso.

The political administration of the region is through the local government system. Under this administration system, the region is divided into 14 MMDA's (made up of 1 Metropolitan, 8 Municipal and 5 Ordinary Assemblies). Each District, Municipal or Metropolitan Assembly, is administered by a Chief Executive, representing the central government but deriving authority from an Assembly headed by a presiding member elected from among the members themselves. The current list is as follows:

Districts of the Western Region

Districts of the Western Region^[8]

#	MMDA Name	Capital	MMDA Type	Population Census 2010[2]	Population Projection 2019[2]
1	Ahanta West	Agona Nkwanta	Municipal	106,215	139,188
-	Aowin*	Enchi	Municipal	117,886	154,661
-	Bia East*	Adabokrom	Ordinary	27,393	37,108
-	Bia West*	Essam	Ordinary	88,939	111,355
-	Bodi*	Bodi	Ordinary	53,314	68,055
2	Ellembelle	Nkroful	Ordinary	87,501	114,441
3	Jomoro	Half Assini	Municipal	150,107	194,808
-	Juabeso*	Juaboso	Ordinary	58,435	77,678
4	Mpohor	Mpohor	Ordinary	42,923	55,678
5	Nzema East	Axim	Municipal	60,828	80,480
6	Prestea-Huni Valley	Bogoso	Municipal	159,304	207,237
-	Sefwi-Akontombra*	Sefwi Akontombra	Ordinary	82,467	108,266
-	Bibiani/Anhwiaso/Bekwai*	Bibiani	Municipal	123,272	160,844
-	Sefwi-Wiawso*	Wiawso	Municipal	139,200	182,510
7	Sekondi-Takoradi	Sekondi	Metropolitan	559,548	726,905
8	Effia-Kwesimintsim	Kwesimintsim	Ordinary	N/A	N/A
9	Shama	Shama	Ordinary	81,966	105,173
-	Suaman*	Dadieso	Ordinary	20,529	27,832
10	Tarkwa-Nsuaem	Tarkwa	Municipal	90,477	117,550
11	Wassa Amenfi Central	Manso Amenfi	Ordinary	69,014	89,703
12	Wassa Amenfi East	Wassa-Akropong	Municipal	83,478	108,272
13	Wassa Amenfi West	Asankragua	Municipal	92,152	120,643
14	Wassa East	Daboase	Ordinary	81,073	105,163
Total				2,376,021	3,093,201

Famous native citizens

Famous native citizens of Western region
#	Citizen	Settlement
1	Samuel Inkoom	Sekondi-Takoradi
2	Nadia Buari	Sekondi-Takoradi
3	Boris Kodjoe	Sekondi-Takoradi
4	John Atta Mills	Tarkwa
5	Kwame Nkrumah	Nkroful
6	Anton Wilhelm Amo	Axim
7	Joseph Boahen Aidoo	Wassa Afransie
8	Kofi Kinaata	Takoradi
9	Gyedu-Blay Ambolley	Sekondi-Takoradi
10	Godfried Gambrah	Sekondi-Takoradi
11	Kwame Nkrumah	Nkroful (Nzema people)

References

1. "Management And Administration – Western Regional Co-Ordinating Council". wrcc.gov.gh.
2. Ghana Statistical Service
3. "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
4. "Betway extends support to Volleyball Teams in the Western and Western North Regions". Citi Sports Online. 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
5. "UNESCO Listed World Heritage Properties". Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
6. Kaledzi, Isaac (26 June 2019). "Ghana: Six new regions created after a referendum". Africa Needs. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
7. "Western". GhanaDistricts.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
8. "geohive.com". www42.geohive.com. Retrieved 2023-01-11.

Sources

• Latest list of Regional Ministers in 2008