Stories and facts

It has since grown into one of Africa's most densely populated and rapidly expanding metropolises. Occupying only 1.4 percent of Ghana's total land area, it is the smallest administrative region, covering 3,245 square kilometers. Despite its small size, Accra is the second most populous region, with a population of 5,455,692 as of 2021, accounting for 17.7 percent of Ghana's total population. This includes 2,679,063 males and 2,776,629 females, with a total of 1,702,160 households in the region.

The history of local governance in Accra can be traced back to 1859 when initial attempts to establish a Town Council were made through an Ordinance. However, it was not until 1898, under the Town Council Ordinance of 1894, that the Accra Town Council was officially formed, with its first meeting held on February 14th of the same year.

The Accra Council underwent several changes and revisions over time. In 1943, it was reestablished under the Accra Town Council Ordinance, with 75 members appointed by the government and two by the Ga Native Authority. Subsequent constitutional revisions in September 1953 expanded the membership to 31, resulting in the establishment of the Accra Municipal Council, consisting of 27 representatives for the Wards and four representing the Traditional Authority. After Ghana gained independence in 1957, traditional representation was eliminated, making the Council a fully representative institution.

To meet the increasing demands for services and amenities, the Accra City Council was integrated into the New Local Government System, leading to the creation of six semi-autonomous Area Councils: Ablekuma, Ashiedu Keteke, Kpeshie, Okaikwei, Ayawaso, and Osu-Klottey.

On June 29, 1961, Accra was officially declared a City, and the Council was renamed the Accra City Council. In March 1963, the Accra-Tema Development Corporation took over certain functions that were previously handled by the Council.

The Accra City Council was dissolved in August 1964, and the Greater Accra area was established. A Special Commission was appointed to administratively oversee the Accra-Tema City Council, with the Executive Chairman of the Accra-Tema City Council appointed in the same year.

Regarding governance, the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, specifically Article 240 (1) of Chapter 20, laid the foundation for the country's system of Local Government and Administration, emphasizing decentralization. This constitutional provision supported the decentralization program initiated in 1988, which aimed to delegate authority to local governments. The Constitution called on the Parliament of Ghana to enact laws to facilitate the smooth implementation of this decentralized program.

Article 240 (2) provided guidelines to Parliament for the content of the specific Local Government law, leading to the enactment of the Local Government Act of 1993 (Act 462). This act established and regulated the Local Government systems in accordance with the Constitution. It covered various aspects such as the creation of districts, establishment of District Assemblies, composition of the District Assemblies, qualification and disqualification of members, functions of the District Assemblies, and planning and other related functions.

According to the Constitution's Article 241, District Assemblies were established, and district boundaries were demarcated. These District Assemblies were recognized as the Lowest National Administrative Organs. The structure of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) includes the General Assembly at the top, with ten Sub-Metropolitan District Councils serving as subordinate bodies responsible for specific tasks assigned by the Assembly or delegated to them by the Assembly itself.