GHANA · ACCRA
Key Facts
- What is happening Accra is Ghana’s capital, and the Bank of Ghana, the central bank headquartered there, held its policy rate at 14.00% in September 2026.
- Why it matters Greater Accra Region is 91.7% urban in the 2021 census, and 96.1% of its people use electricity as their main lighting, the highest share of any region.
- The numbers Ghana counted 30,832,019 people in the 2021 census, 17.7% of them in Greater Accra, and the Ghana Stock Exchange index stood at 14,286.89 on 2 November 2026.
- Who is who John Dramani Mahama is President and Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang Vice President; Michael Kpakpo Allotey was confirmed Mayor of Accra on 6 May 2025.
- What to watch Watch inflation, which was 5.2% in September 2026 after a 54% peak in 2022, and the next rate decision of the Bank of Ghana.
- What it means for you The State Department rates Ghana Level 2, exercise increased caution, because of crime and violence against women travellers, and the US Embassy sits at 24 Fourth Circular Road, Cantonments, Accra.
Accra is Ghana’s capital and one of its two most populous regions. It hosts the central bank, the stock exchange and the US Embassy.
Accra City Guide: The Capital at a Glance
This Accra city guide explains Ghana’s capital in November 2026. It rests on official pages checked that month, and it marks what could not be confirmed.
More coverage sits on the Rio Times Ghana page and the Accra expat city page. See also the guides to Ghana’s politics and its regions.
Accra is a seaside capital of old forts, busy markets and modern offices. The Ghana Statistical Service, the national statistics office, has its address on Finance Drive in Accra.
The Bank of Ghana is based at The Bank Square, 42 Castle Road, in the Ridge district. The Ghana Stock Exchange sits at Cedi House on Liberia Road.
Population and Neighbourhoods
Ghana’s 2021 Population and Housing Census counted 30,832,019 people nationwide. The Ghana Statistical Service says Greater Accra holds 17.7% of them, just ahead of Ashanti at 17.6%.
By this guide’s arithmetic that is about 5.46 million people in the region. The statistics office also calls Greater Accra six times as densely populated as the next region, Central.
The census found 91.7% of Greater Accra’s residents living in urban areas, the highest share in Ghana. Upper East was lowest at 25.4%.
Density in Greater Accra rose from 1,236 to 1,681 people per square kilometre between 2010 and 2021. That was the biggest rise of any region, against 129 for Ghana as a whole.
Only 36.4% of Greater Accra households live in dwellings their own family owns, the lowest share in Ghana. Some 47.6% rent, the highest share, and 14.6% of dwelling units stand vacant.
Six in ten Ghanaians are aged 15 to 64, and Greater Accra’s share is higher at 66.5%. That makes the region young and work-age heavy compared with the national average of 60.4%.
The city proper is run by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, one of 261 local assemblies in Ghana. Its website lists the sub-metros Ablekuma South, Ashiedu Keteke and Okaikoi South.
The census treats metropolitan areas at sub-metro level, which brought Ghana’s statistical districts to 272. The census published no single neighbourhood ranking, so this guide names only the places the sources name.
Among Ghanaian languages, the census says Asante Twi, Ga and Ewe are the prominent ones for literate people in Greater Accra. Other language shares for the region were not read.
Politics and Governance
Ghana is a republic, and John Dramani Mahama is President of the Republic of Ghana and Commander-in-Chief of its armed forces. He was sworn in on Tuesday 7 January 2025.
The presidency’s website lists Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as Vice President. Its pages carry statements by President Mahama and describe his programme as a reset of the economy.
The country has 16 regions and 261 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies. Accra’s assembly is the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, whose office stands on Independence Avenue in Accra Central.
A special assembly meeting confirmed Michael Kpakpo Allotey as Mayor of Accra on Tuesday 6 May 2025, two press reports say. He won all 30 valid votes, in a ballot run by the Electoral Commission.
The assembly’s own website shows a photo of that meeting but gives no date. The mayor is Accra’s chief executive and, as the president’s nominee, needs the assembly’s approval.
Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, the Member of Parliament for Shai Osudoku, is the Greater Accra Regional Minister. Her regional office named sanitation and city lighting as 2026 priorities on 15 January 2026.
That office set a clean-up exercise for all local assemblies from 21 to 24 January 2026. The same page calls sanitation a top priority.
Economy and Money
The World Bank, a global development lender, says Ghana grew 6.2% in the first half of 2026. It projects 4.8% growth for the year, and puts inflation at 5% in August 2026, down from 54% in 2022.
The bank says public debt fell to 49% of output by the end of 2025. The primary fiscal balance, which excludes interest, showed a surplus of 2.1% of output in 2025.
The International Monetary Fund, the global crisis lender, projects growth of 4.8% and inflation of 5.8% for Ghana in 2026. It lists outstanding Ghanaian purchases and loans of 2,822.86 million Special Drawing Rights at 31 March 2026.
The Bank of Ghana’s monetary policy committee met on 23 and 24 September 2026 and unanimously kept the policy rate at 14.00%. Its statement is dated 1 October 2026.
The Ghana Statistical Service put annual consumer inflation at 5.2% for September 2026, up 0.2 points from August. No cedi amounts are used in this guide, so no conversion rate is needed.
The Ghana Stock Exchange composite index closed at 14,286.89 on 2 November 2026. That was down 15.38 points from 14,302.27 on 30 October.
Getting Around and the Airport
Kotoka International Airport serves Accra and is run by the Ghana Airports Company. The company says it serves an average of 7,780 passengers daily, without dating the figure.
Terminal 3 opened in 2018, the company says. On 4 December 2025 it welcomed the resumption of Delta Air Lines flights between Atlanta and Accra.
The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority owns and runs the country’s two main ports, Tema and Takoradi. This guide did not read its port statistics and gives no throughput figures.
No official page read for this guide gave figures for Accra’s buses, taxis, rail or roads. Check operators and travel advisories before booking local transport.
Heritage and Culture
UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency, lists the Forts and Castles of Ghana as a World Heritage property. It names Christiansborg Castle at Osu, Fort Ussher at Usshertown and James Fort at Jamestown among the Accra sites.
It also names Augustaborg at Teshie, where only traces of fortifications remain. UNESCO says the forts were founded between 1482 and 1786, and that James Fort is no longer used as a prison.
The Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, set up in 1957, runs the National Museum of Ghana in Accra. Its exhibitions cover archaeology, ethnography and contemporary art.
Makola Market and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park appear in the photos here, but no official page read gave figures for either. Visitors should check opening hours locally.
Security and Daily Life
The State Department, the US foreign ministry, issued its current Ghana advisory on 8 April 2025 at Level 2, exercise increased caution. It cites violent crime, crime against women travellers and hostility towards lesbian, gay and bisexual people.
The advisory warns of carjackings, muggings and assaults, often at night or in isolated places. It also flags crowded markets and night transport, but it does not name Accra as a specific risk area.
It advises reconsidering travel to northern border areas. These are the Upper East, North East and Upper West regions and part of the Savannah Region.
The 2021 census gives a picture of daily life in Greater Accra. Sachet water, sold in small plastic bags, is the most used drinking water source there, at 70.7%.
Only 6.4% of people aged 12 and over own no functional ICT device, the lowest share in Ghana. Laptop ownership is highest there at 12.2%.
What It Means for US Readers
The US Trade Representative, the White House trade office, counted about US$2.5 billion of goods trade with Ghana in 2025. US exports rose 31.7% to US$1.3 billion, and imports rose 3.7% to US$1.2 billion.
That left a US goods surplus of US$63.3 million in 2025, after a deficit of US$201.5 million in 2024. The US Embassy in Cantonments is led by Chargé d’Affaires Rolf Olson, in post since 29 May 2025.
The embassy named Faris Y. Asad as Deputy Chief of Mission, arriving in August 2026. It held a US 250th Independence Day celebration in Accra on 10 June 2026.
Delta Air Lines flies between Atlanta and Accra, according to the airport company’s announcement of December 2025. Americans should check the State Department advisory and enrol in its traveller alert programme before going.
What Is Not Known
The census population of the Accra Metropolitan Area was not found in the statistics office’s highlights. The mayor’s confirmation date of 6 May 2025 comes from press reports, not from the assembly’s own page.
Crime figures for Accra, passenger and port statistics, transport data and city output were not found in official sources. Rents, housing prices and traffic conditions were not checked.
The statement text of the September 2026 rate decision was not read, only its headline outcome. The population share for Greater Accra is a rounded 17.7%, so the regional total of about 5.46 million is an estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Accra the capital of Ghana?
Yes, Accra is Ghana’s capital, and the central bank, stock exchange and statistics office all have their addresses there. The US Embassy also sits in Accra, in the Cantonments district.
How many people live in Accra?
The 2021 census counted 30,832,019 people in Ghana, and Greater Accra Region held 17.7% of them, or about 5.46 million. The census gave no single figure for the city proper at the pages read.
Who is the mayor of Accra?
Michael Kpakpo Allotey, confirmed by the city assembly on Tuesday 6 May 2025 with all 30 valid votes. The assembly’s own website gives no date.
Is Accra safe for American visitors?
The State Department rates Ghana Level 2, exercise increased caution, citing crime and violence against women travellers. It does not name Accra as a specific risk area.
What is the economy like in 2026?
The World Bank says Ghana grew 6.2% in the first half of 2026 and inflation was 5% in August 2026. The Bank of Ghana held its policy rate at 14.00% in September 2026 and inflation was 5.2%.
What is there to see in Accra?
UNESCO lists Christiansborg Castle, Fort Ussher and James Fort among the Accra sites of the Forts and Castles of Ghana. The National Museum of Ghana is also in Accra.
Sources: Ghana Statistical Service (2021 Population and Housing Census, Volume 3 highlights); Ghana Statistical Service (2021 census general report highlights); Accra Metropolitan Assembly; Presidency of Ghana; Ghana Armed Forces (President of Ghana); Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (Mayor of Accra); Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (Regional Minister, 15 January 2026); Ghana Statistical Service (consumer prices); Bank of Ghana; Ghana Stock Exchange; World Bank (Ghana overview, 29 September 2026); International Monetary Fund (Ghana); Ghana Airports Company; Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority; UNESCO World Heritage Centre (Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions); Ghana Museums and Monuments Board; US State Department (Ghana travel advisory); US Embassy in Ghana; US Trade Representative (Ghana) (all accessed 3 November 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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