Ghana is one of many countries around the world that divide themselves into regions for administration, much like states in India, provinces in Kenya, or governorates in parts of the Middle East. Understanding how a country like Ghana structures its regions offers a useful case study for readers anywhere who want to understand how subnational government works in practice.
How many regions does Ghana have right now?
Ghana currently has 16 administrative regions [1]. This is the correct, current figure. Some older textbooks, maps, and websites still say Ghana has 10 regions, which was accurate before 2019 but is now outdated, as explained further below.
Each region is further broken down into smaller units called Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies, or MMDAs. As of the most recent count, Ghana has 260 of these local assemblies spread across its 16 regions [1].
The full list of regions and capitals
Here is the complete, current list of Ghana’s 16 regions with their capital towns, listed alphabetically.
| Region | Capital | Population (2021 census) | Area (km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahafo | Goaso | 564,668 | 5,196 |
| Ashanti | Kumasi | 5,440,463 | 24,389 |
| Bono | Sunyani | 1,208,649 | 11,113 |
| Bono East | Techiman | 1,203,400 | 23,248 |
| Central | Cape Coast | 2,859,821 | 9,826 |
| Eastern | Koforidua | 2,925,653 | 19,323 |
| Greater Accra | Accra | 5,445,692 | 3,245 |
| North East | Nalerigu | 658,946 | 9,070 |
| Northern | Tamale | 2,310,939 | 26,534 |
| Oti | Dambai | 747,248 | 11,066 |
| Savannah | Damongo | 653,266 | 34,790 |
| Upper East | Bolgatanga | 1,301,226 | 8,842 |
| Upper West | Wa | 901,502 | 18,476 |
| Volta | Ho | 1,659,040 | 9,504 |
| Western | Sekondi-Takoradi | 2,060,585 | 13,842 |
| Western North | Sefwi Wiawso | 880,921 | 10,079 |
This population and area data comes from Ghana’s 2021 Population and Housing Census, as compiled and cross-referenced in Wikipedia’s regional records [1, 4].
A quick clarification on the Western Region: its capital is the twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi, and different sources shorten this to either “Sekondi” or “Takoradi” depending on which historical administrative center they are referencing, but both names point to the same combined capital [1, 2].
Some quick facts worth knowing
A few patterns stand out once you look at the numbers side by side.
- Greater Accra is the smallest region by land area but carries the largest population alongside Ashanti, making it by far the most densely populated region in the country [1].
- Savannah is the largest region by land area, followed by Northern and Ashanti [1, 4].
- Ahafo is the smallest region both by population and by area among the newer regions [1].
- Kumasi, the capital of Ashanti Region, is Ghana’s second-largest city, but it is not the national capital. That title belongs to Accra, which is also the capital of the separate Greater Accra Region [1].
How Ghana went from 10 regions to 16
This is where the most recent and most significant change to Ghana’s map comes in, and it is worth explaining in full because so much confusion still exists around it.
Ghana operated with 10 regions from 1983, when the old Upper Region was split into Upper East and Upper West, until 2018 [1]. On 27 December 2018, the country held a national referendum asking residents of certain areas whether they wanted new regions carved out of the existing ones [1, 6]. Every proposed new region was approved by voters, with each area recording 90 percent approval or higher [3].
Six new regions were officially created as a result. Oti Region was separated from the Volta Region, with Dambai as its capital. Bono East and Ahafo were carved out of the former Brong-Ahafo Region, becoming Techiman and Goaso respectively, while the remaining portion of Brong-Ahafo became the new Bono Region, with Sunyani as its capital. North East Region and Savannah Region were split from the Northern Region, with Nalerigu and Damongo as their capitals. Western North Region was created out of the Western Region, with Sefwi Wiawso as its capital [2, 3].
President Nana Akufo-Addo formally inaugurated the six new regions by presenting the attestation documents on 12 February 2019, bringing Ghana’s total to 16 regions [3]. Some of the demands behind this reorganization were decades old. The push for a separate Oti Region, for example, traced back to petitions first raised in 1954 [3].
The longer history, from five regions to sixteen
Ghana’s regional map has changed several times since independence, and tracing that history helps explain why the current 16-region structure looks the way it does.
At independence in March 1957, Ghana was formed from four territories, the Gold Coast, Ashanti, the Northern Territories, and Trans-Volta Togoland, and initially had five regions [1]. In 1959, the Ashanti Region was split to create the Brong-Ahafo Region, recognizing the Bono people as a distinct group with their own administrative area [1]. When Ghana became a republic in 1960, the Northern Region was divided to create the Upper Region, bringing the total to seven regions [1].
The Western Region was split to create the Central Region ahead of the 1970 census, raising the count to eight [1]. In 1982, the Greater Accra Region was carved out of the Eastern Region under military government rule, and in 1983 the Upper Region was itself split into Upper East and Upper West, bringing the total to 10 regions, a structure that held for over three decades until the 2018 referendum [1].
Myth versus documented fact
Because Ghana’s regional map has changed more than once, several outdated or inaccurate claims still circulate. Here is a clear separation of what is actually documented against what is simply old information or a common misunderstanding.
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| “Ghana has 10 regions” | Outdated. This was accurate before February 2019 but Ghana has had 16 regions since then [1, 3]. |
| “Kumasi is the capital of Ghana” | Myth. Kumasi is the capital of the Ashanti Region only. Ghana’s national capital is Accra [1]. |
| “The Western Region’s capital is simply Sekondi or simply Takoradi” | Partly myth. The official capital is the combined twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi, formed when the two towns merged in 1971 [1]. |
| “All 16 regions were created in the same year” | Myth. Ten regions existed by 1983, and the remaining six were only added in 2018 and 2019 following a referendum [1, 3]. |
| “The new regions were imposed without local consent” | Myth. Each new region was approved through a referendum, with all areas recording at least 90 percent support [3, 6]. |
Why this matters beyond Ghana
Ghana’s approach to subnational government mirrors patterns seen elsewhere in Africa and Asia, where regions or provinces are periodically redrawn to bring administration closer to communities that feel geographically or politically distant from an existing capital. Kenya’s 47-county system, introduced under its 2010 constitution, and Indonesia’s ongoing creation of new provinces both follow a similar logic of localizing governance as populations grow [1].
For readers outside Ghana, the practical lesson is that regional or provincial boundaries are rarely permanent anywhere in the world, and it is always worth checking whether a map or reference source reflects the most recent official changes before relying on it.
Disclaimer
This article is based on Ghana’s official 2021 Population and Housing Census figures and publicly documented sources, including Wikipedia’s compiled regional records and Ghanaian news outlets, current as of September 2026. If you spot an error or an update we’ve missed, please contact us so we can correct it.
References
- [1] Regions of Ghana, Wikipedia
- [2] Know the 16 regional capitals of Ghana, Graphic Online
- [3] All you need to know about the 16 regional capitals of Ghana, ViewGhana
- [4] List of Ghanaian regions by area, Wikipedia
- [5] Evolution of the regions: from 5 to 16, Daily Graphic
- [6] CONFIRMED: Results of the 2018 Referendum on new regions, Daily Graphic
