Up until 2018 Ghana had 10 administrative areas however, after a long period of consultation another 6 were added taking the total 16. The full list of regional capitals are
When were the 6 new regional capitals of Ghana created?
A referendum was held in Ghana on the 27 December 2018 which resulted in the creation of 6 new regions.
The main argument for more regions was that it was felt that the 10 regions were too vast and could not all be handled by one central administration.
How the new Ghana regions were created?
The new regions of Ghana were created by splitting four of the existing regions. The regions that were split to create the new Ghana regions were
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Western Region was split into two to create Western and Western North;
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Northern Region was split into two to create North East and Savannah;
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Volta Region was split into two to create Volta and Oti;
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Brong-Ahafo Region was split into three to create Bono, Ahafo and Bono East.
Why were six new regions created in Ghana?
The idea of new regions was a campaign promise of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2016 in his election campaign
The creations of the regions bring to an end decades of petitions calling for the formation of the regions. There were calls for the creation of the additional regional capitals way before Ghana gained independence in 1957. With the chiefs and people from the Oti Region, for instance, who demanded the creation of the region as far back as 1954. However, these regions have always been classified under the Volta Region. With the formation of the new regions the Oti region as been established and now the chiefs can distinguish themselves .
Why the new regions work
The new regions allow the administrative areas to;
- Meet the changing needs of their growing population
- Protect minority ethnic or group interest and to ensure cohesion
- Help ensure that development and resource infrastructure is directed to the right geographical area.
Author: The editor
Working with off site teams to create content and providing insights on all things Ghana related. Always keen to hear from people traveling to Ghana or living in Ghana. As there is so much to see and do and write about