| Tema | |
|---|---|
| A marketplace in central Tema, April 2005. | |
|
Tema
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Ghana |
| Admin. Region | Greater Accra Region |
| District | Tema Municipal District |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Robert Kempes Ofosu-Ware |
| Elevation | 1 m (3 ft) |
| Population (2005) | |
| • Total | 209,000 |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC0) |
| Area code(s) | +233(0)30 3 plus the old 6 digit number[1] |
Tema is a city on the Atlantic coast of Ghana, lying 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of the Ghanaian capital city, Accra, in the region of Greater Accra. As of 2005, Tema had a population of approximately 209,000.[2] The Greenwich Meridian (00 Longitude) passes directly through the city.[3] Tema is locally nicknamed the "Harbour City" because of its status as Ghana's largest seaport.
A planned city commissioned by Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, Tema was originally a small fishing village, and grew after the construction of a large harbour in 1961. It is now the nation's largest seaport, home to an oil refinery and many manufacturing centres, and is linked to the capital by railway and a highway. Tema is one of Ghana's two deep seaports, the other being Sekondi Takoradi. In recent times, the city has suffered from overpopulation, stemming mainly from rural-urban migration.
Contents |
Before Ghana's independence, the government identified a small fishing village called Torman as the projected site for a modern sea port to serve the new Ghana. Torman residents grew the gourd plant known as Tor in the local Ga language, from which a variety of products could be obtained, including tsene (calabash), akpaki and akoji; hence the name Torman ("Gourd Town"). This name was eventually corrupted to "Tema".
In 1952, the government acquired 166 square kilometres (64 sq mi) of land north of the harbour, and entrusted it to the Tema Development Corporation. The “New Town” that was subsequently built on the site was planned as an industrial and residential complex. The villagers of Torman were ejected to make way for the project, and migrated to a new fishing ground around 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) away.
The main Tema Township was constructed, and the Tema Harbour officially opened, in 1962. Over the following decades, Tema grew into the industrial hub of Ghana and one of the best-planned cities in West Africa, with a carefully-constructed road layout featuring landscaping and street lights. It boasted modern recreational centers and other social amenities rare among African cities at the time.
A large population influx began in the 1960s owing to the city's employment opportunities, but the Tema Development Corporation was unable to construct housing and provide other services to meet the needs of this migration.[4] The Tema Newtown district was overwhelmed by the sudden population growth, and became the poor cousin of Tema Township, receiving none of the latter's improved housing, geometrically-laid roads, or social amenities. Moreover, royalties paid by Tema Newtown's companies to evicted villagers have not been used due to a chieftaincy dispute. The area's fishing potential was thus not fully explored.[5]
The importance of Tema as an industrial hub is reflected by the fact that the Ghana Police Service maintains a special policing region devoted entirely to the city.
Tema is characterised by a dry equatorial climate. It lies in the driest part of southern Ghana, experiencing average annual rainfall of about 790 millimetres (31 in). Average temperatures are high year-round, often exceeding 30° Celsius.[3]
Tema Port, which was opened in 1962, is the biggest of the two seaports in Ghana. It has a water-enclosed area of 1.7 square kilometres (0.66 sq mi) and a total land area of 3.9 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi). Apart from handling Ghanaian imports and exports, it is also a traffic junction, dealing with transit cargo destined for the landlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The port of Tema handles 80% of Ghana's import and export cargo, including the country's chief export, cocao.
The port has 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) of breakwaters, 12 deepwater berths, an outsize oil tanker berth, a dockyard, warehouses, and transit sheds. The port has open and covered areas for the storage of cargo, including a 77,200-m² (7.72-hectare) paved area for the storage of containers, steel products and other conventional cargo. The port's container yard is capable of holding over 8,000 TEUs at any given time. The closed storage area, which is about 25,049 m² (2.51 hectares) in area, consists of six sheds with a total storage capacity of 50,000 tonnes of cargo. The port also includes a 100,000-dwt dry dock and slipway facility.[6] The harbour is operated by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.
Ghana has a long history of Atlantic fishing. The Tema fishing harbour is at the eastern end of the city's commercial harbour. It comprises the Inner Fishing Harbour, the Canoe Basin, the Outer Fishing Harbour, and a commercial area with marketing and cold storage facilities.[4]
The Inner Fishing Harbour was constructed along the Tema Main Port in 1962 to provide a handling facility for semi-industrial and industrial fishing vessels, and to encourage the development of the local fishing industry. In 1965, the Outer Fishing Harbour was constructed for bigger industrial vessels such as trawlers, tuna vessels, and deep-sea carriers. The trawlers operating in the area are 30–45 m long and are able to land 55-65 tonnes of fish (usually redfish and club and scad mackerel) per fishing trip. The tuna vessels range from smaller boats around 45–50 m in length, able to land 200-250 tonnes of catch, to larger versions with a length of 50–65 m and the ability to land up to 650 tonnes per fishing trip. The largest fishing vessels, the deep-sea carriers (with lengths of 90–105 m), are mostly chartered vessels which land between 700-1,400 tonnes of imported fish, mostly from Mauritania and Namibia. Since 1984, the national catch has averaged about 200,000 to 300,000 metric tonnes per annum. Ghana's tuna catch has maintained a stable level of 30,000 tonnes per annum since 1981.
The Canoe Basin caters for the artisanal fishermen. The basin is normally occupied by about 400 canoes. These are mainly two types: wooden vessels, locally called "Legelege", and metal vessels. The wooden canoes have lengths over all (LOA) ranging between 30–70 m, mainly owned and operated by indigenous Ghanaians. Their operations peak during the months of June–September. Main catches during this period are herrings and salmon. Artisanal canoe fishing is responsible for about 70% of the catch.[6]
SOS Hermann Gmeiner International College (SOS-HGIC), a private mixed boarding school catering to the 10th to 13th grades, is located in Tema. It utilises the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) for the 10th and 11th grades and the International Baccalaureate (IB) for the 12th and 13th grades. The school was headed by Margaret Nkrumah for over 15 years, and is now headed by Titi Ofei. Tema also has an international school, Tema International School (TIS), and a senior high school, Tema Secondary School (TSS), which was built in September 1961.
The city's chief industrial products include aluminium, steel, processed fish, refined petroleum, textiles, chemicals, food products, and cement.[2]
Major companies in Tema include:
|
|||||