Fueling the Future of an Oil City: A Tale of Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana

Fueling the Future of an Oil City: A Tale of Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana

Background

Africa is experiencing an economic boom period, with many of the fastest growing world economies of the last decade in the continent. Ghana is one of the fastest growing economies within Africa, with multiple years of growth in GDP around 7 percent, driven by exports of gold and cocoa and, with oil production that commenced in 2010, further growth is expected.
Simultaneously, the continent is transforming due to the effects of rapid urbanization. Africa is the fastest urbanizing continent with urban growth rate of 3.5 percent per year, with that rate expected to hold until 2050. Ghana’s rate of urbanization is currently measured at 3.4 percent and the country has reached the milestone of 51 percent of its 24 million people living in cities.
Rapid urbanization presents both new opportunities as well as challenges that  need urgent attention. The following case study illustrates some of the steps being taken in the Ghanaian city of Sekondi-Takoradi to address these issues and to help this rapidly growing city take full advantage of economic growth to create a sustainable set of services for its population.

Sekondi-Takoradi is comprised of the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi and is the capital of the Western Region of Ghana. It is the region’s largest city, as well as the fourth largest in Ghana, and is an industrial and commercial center, with a population of approximately 560,000 people. Demographically, nearly 45 percent of the population is below the age of 14, and 52 percent are between 15 and 64, while 69 percent of the area’s population is urban. The chief industries in Sekondi-Takoradi are timber, plywood, shipbuilding and railroad repair. Recently, sweet crude oil and crude oil have joined these and the city will likely continue to grow rapidly. 

Global Communities began working in partnership with the Sekondi-Takoradi Municipal Authority (STMA) and local organizations in January 2008 on slum upgrading projects. However, in October 2011, through the IncluCity project, Global Communities commenced work with the city to begin addressing holistic needs such as service provision, revenue generation and citizen-municipal relationships.
Learn more about the innovative and highly participatory ways the local authories are addressing the new challenges facing Sekondi-Takoradi by reading the full case study here.