# Regions of Ghana

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
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 region | Capital | New region | Capital |
| Ashanti | Kumasi | Ashanti | Kumasi |
| Brong-Ahafo | Sunyani | Bono | Sunyani |
| Brong-Ahafo | Sunyani | Bono East | Techiman |
| Brong-Ahafo | Sunyani | Ahafo | Goaso |
| Central | Cape Coast | Central | Cape Coast |
| Eastern | Koforidua | Eastern | Koforidua |
| Greater Accra | Accra | Greater Accra | Accra |
| Northern | Tamale | Northern | Tamale |
| Northern | Tamale | Savannah | Damongo |
| Northern | Tamale | North East | Nalerigu |
| Upper East | Bolgatanga | Upper East | Bolgatanga |
| Upper West | Wa | Upper West | Wa |
| Volta | Ho | Volta | Ho |
| Volta | Ho | Oti | Dambai |
| Western | Sekondi-Takoradi | Western | Takoradi |
| Western | Sekondi-Takoradi | Western North | Wiawso |

## 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 region | Capital | New region | Capital |
| Ashanti Protectorate | Kumasi | Ashanti Region | Kumasi |
| Eastern Province | Koforidua | Eastern Region | Koforidua |
| Eastern Province | (Keta) | Volta Region | Ho |
| Trans-Volta Togoland | Ho | Volta Region | Ho |
| Northern Territories | (Saboba) | Volta Region | Ho |
| Northern Territories | Tamale | Northern Region | Tamale |
| Western Province | Sekondi | Western Region | Sekondi |

### 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 region | Capital | New region | Capital |
| Ashanti | Kumasi | Ashanti | Kumasi |
| Ashanti | Kumasi | Brong-Ahafo Region | Sunyani |
| Eastern Region | Koforidua | Eastern Region | Koforidua |
| Northern Region | Tamale | Northern Region | Tamale |
| Northern Region | Tamale | Upper Region | Bolgatanga |
| Volta Region | Ho | Volta Region | Ho |
| Western Region | Sekondi | Western Region | Sekondi |

### 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 region | Capital | New region | Capital |
| Ashanti | Kumasi | Ashanti | Kumasi |
| Brong-Ahafo region | Sunyani | Brong-Ahafo region | Sunyani |
| Eastern Region | Koforidua | Eastern Region | Koforidua |
| Northern Region | Tamale | Northern Region | Tamale |
| Upper Region | Bolgatanga | Upper Region | Bolgatanga |
| Volta Region | Ho | Volta Region | Ho |
| Western Region | Sekondi | Western Region | Sekondi-Takoradi |
| Western Region | Sekondi | Central Region | Cape Coast |

### PNDC era

The Provisional National Defence Council, which was the military government in power between 1981 and 1993, promulgated the Greater Accra Law (PNDCL 26) 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 region | Capital | New region | Capital |
| Ashanti | Kumasi | Ashanti | Kumasi |
| Brong-Ahafo region | Sunyani | Brong-Ahafo region | Sunyani |
| Central Region | Cape Coast | Central Region | Cape Coast |
| Eastern Region | Koforidua | Eastern Region | Koforidua |
| Eastern Region | Koforidua | Greater Accra Region | Accra |
| Northern Region | Tamale | Northern Region | Tamale |
| Upper Region | Bolgatanga | Upper East Region | Bolgatanga |
| Upper Region | Bolgatanga | Upper West Region | Wa |
| Volta Region | Ho | Volta Region | Ho |
| Western Region | Sekondi-Takoradi | Western Region | Sekondi-Takoradi |