Regions of Ghana


The regions of Ghana are the first level of subnational government administration within the Republic of Ghana. As of 2020, there are 16 regions, which are further divided for administrative purposes into 260 local metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (or MMDA's).

Current regions

The ten former regions were officially established in 1987, when the Upper West Region was inaugurated as the state's newest administrative region, although it had already functioned as an administrative unit since the break-up of the Upper Region in December 1982, prior to the 1984 national census. A referendum on the creation of six new regions was held on 27 December 2018, where all proposed new regions were approved.
Former regionCapitalNew regionCapital
AshantiKumasiAshantiKumasi
Brong-AhafoSunyaniBonoSunyani
Brong-AhafoSunyaniBono EastTechiman
Brong-AhafoSunyaniAhafoGoaso
Central Cape CoastCentralCape Coast
EasternKoforiduaEasternKoforidua
Greater AccraAccraGreater AccraAccra
NorthernTamaleNorthernTamale
NorthernTamaleSavannahDamongo
NorthernTamaleNorth EastNalerigu
Upper EastBolgatangaUpper EastBolgatanga
Upper WestWaUpper WestWa
VoltaHoVoltaHo
VoltaHoOtiDambai
WesternSekondi-TakoradiWesternTakoradi
WesternSekondi-TakoradiWestern NorthWiawso

Previous regional configurations

Independence - 6 March 1957

At independence in March 1957, the Northern Territories, Ashanti, Trans-Volta Togoland and the Gold Coast came together to form Ghana. There were initially five regions. The Trans-Volta Togoland was combined with part of the Eastern Region and Northern Territories to form the Volta Region.
Former regionCapitalNew regionCapital
AshantiKumasiAshanti RegionKumasi
Eastern ProvinceKoforiduaEastern RegionKoforidua
Eastern ProvinceVolta RegionHo
Trans-Volta TogolandHoVolta RegionHo
Northern TerritoriesVolta RegionHo
Northern TerritoriesTamaleNorthern RegionTamale
Western ProvinceSekondiWestern RegionSekondi

Post-independence and First Republic

On 4 April 1959, the Ashanti Region was split into the Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions as a result of the Brong Ahafo Region Act No. 18 of 1959. This was in line with what the Brong Kyempem movement had been campaigning for, which was the recognition of the Bono people as a separate ethnic group from the Ashantis with their own region.
On the day Ghana became a republic, 1 July 1960, the Northern Region got split into the Northern and Upper regions raising the number of regions to seven.
Former regionCapitalNew regionCapital
AshantiKumasiAshantiKumasi
AshantiKumasiBrong-Ahafo RegionSunyani
Eastern RegionKoforiduaEastern RegionKoforidua
Northern RegionTamaleNorthern RegionTamale
Northern RegionTamaleUpper RegionBolgatanga
Volta RegionHoVolta RegionHo
Western RegionSekondiWestern RegionSekondi

Second Republic

During the Second Republic, the Western Region was split into the Western and Central regions, making eight regions in total. This was done ahead of the 1970 census. In 1971, Sekondi and Takoradi were merged to form Sekondi-Takoradi, the new capital of the Western Region.
Former regionCapitalNew regionCapital
AshantiKumasiAshantiKumasi
Brong-Ahafo regionSunyaniBrong-Ahafo regionSunyani
Eastern RegionKoforiduaEastern RegionKoforidua
Northern RegionTamaleNorthern RegionTamale
Upper RegionBolgatangaUpper RegionBolgatanga
Volta RegionHoVolta RegionHo
Western RegionSekondiWestern RegionSekondi-Takoradi
Western RegionSekondiCentral RegionCape Coast

PNDC era

The Provisional National Defence Council, which was the military government in power between 1981 and 1993, promulgated the Greater Accra Law of 23 July 1982 which created the Greater Accra Region. The new region consisted of the Accra Capital District and the Ada Local Council, which were split off from the Eastern Region. In the following year 1983, the Upper Region was divided into the Upper East Region and Upper West Region, bringing the total number of regions to ten.
Former regionCapitalNew regionCapital
AshantiKumasiAshantiKumasi
Brong-Ahafo regionSunyaniBrong-Ahafo regionSunyani
Central RegionCape CoastCentral RegionCape Coast
Eastern RegionKoforiduaEastern RegionKoforidua
Eastern RegionKoforiduaGreater Accra RegionAccra
Northern RegionTamaleNorthern RegionTamale
Upper RegionBolgatangaUpper East RegionBolgatanga
Upper RegionBolgatangaUpper West RegionWa
Volta RegionHoVolta RegionHo
Western RegionSekondi-TakoradiWestern RegionSekondi-Takoradi