Tema
Encyclopedia
Tema is a city on the Atlantic
coast of Ghana
, lying 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) east of the Ghanaian capital city, Accra
, in the region of Greater Accra. As of 2005, Tema had a population of 209,000. The Greenwich Meridian (00 Longitude
) passes directly through the city. Tema is locally nicknamed the "Harbour City" because of its status as a 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.
, 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 kilometre 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 grand project, and quickly migrated to the new site about three kilometers away, which was found to be suitable for fishing due to its proximity to the sea.
The main Tema Township was constructed, and the Tema Harbour officially opened, in 1962. Tema became known as the "Harbour City" – the industrial hub of the country 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 influx of population began in the 1960s, owing to the city's new employment opportunities, but the Tema Development Corporation was unable to construct housing and provide other services to meet the needs of this migration.
Tema Newtown in Tema Municipality is home to four large companies: Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Ghana Ports and Harbours Authorities and Pioneer Food Cannery. However, the residential area of Tema Newtown did not see development of any sort. The quick influx of people attracted by the promise of employment overwhelmed the city planners. Tema Newtown became the poor cousin of Tema Township, receiving none of the latter's quality housing, geometrically-laid roads, or social amenities.
Moreover, the companies hosted by the village have paid royalties which have not been used due to a chieftaincy dispute, and this has led to the fishing potential of the area not beeing fully explored.
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.
, Mali
and Niger
are received.
The port of Tema handles 80% of the nation’s import and export cargo. Most of the country’s chief export, cacao, is shipped from Tema.
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 TEU
s 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. The harbour is operated by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority
.
Basin, the Outer Fishing Harbour, and a Commercial Area with marketing and cold storage facilities.
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 red fish
, and club and scad mackerel
) per fishing trip. The tuna
vessels range from smaller versions of around 45–50 m in length, able to land 200-250 tonnes of catch, to larges versions with a length over all (LOA) 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 LOAs 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 canoe
s. 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 herring
s and salmon
.
Artisanal canoe fishing is responsible for about 70% of the catch.
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 by decree of the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah
.
, steel
, processed fish, refined petroleum
, textile
s, chemicals, food products, and cement
.
Major companies in Tema include:
, London
, United Kingdom
- San Diego
, California
, United States
- Roanoke
, Virginia
, United States
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coast of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, lying 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) east of the Ghanaian capital city, Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, in the region of Greater Accra. As of 2005, Tema had a population of 209,000. The Greenwich Meridian (00 Longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
) passes directly through the city. Tema is locally nicknamed the "Harbour City" because of its status as a seaport.
A planned city commissioned by Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
, Tema was originally a small fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
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
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
and many manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
centres, and is linked to the capital by railway and a highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
. 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.
History
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 languageGa language
The Ga language is a Kwa language spoken in Ghana, in and around the capital Accra. It has a phonemic distinction between 3 vowel lengths.-Classification:Ga is a Kwa language, part of the Niger–Congo family...
, from which a variety of products could be obtained, including tsene (calabash
Calabash
Lagenaria siceraria , bottle gourd, opo squash or long melon is a vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable, or harvested mature, dried, and used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe. For this reason, the calabash is widely known as the bottle gourd...
), akpaki and akoji; hence the name Torman ("Gourd Town"). This name was eventually corrupted to "Tema".
In 1952, the government acquired 166 square kilometre 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 grand project, and quickly migrated to the new site about three kilometers away, which was found to be suitable for fishing due to its proximity to the sea.
The main Tema Township was constructed, and the Tema Harbour officially opened, in 1962. Tema became known as the "Harbour City" – the industrial hub of the country 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 influx of population began in the 1960s, owing to the city's new employment opportunities, but the Tema Development Corporation was unable to construct housing and provide other services to meet the needs of this migration.
Tema Newtown in Tema Municipality is home to four large companies: Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Ghana Ports and Harbours Authorities and Pioneer Food Cannery. However, the residential area of Tema Newtown did not see development of any sort. The quick influx of people attracted by the promise of employment overwhelmed the city planners. Tema Newtown became the poor cousin of Tema Township, receiving none of the latter's quality housing, geometrically-laid roads, or social amenities.
Moreover, the companies hosted by the village have paid royalties which have not been used due to a chieftaincy dispute, and this has led to the fishing potential of the area not beeing fully explored.
The importance of Tema as an industrial hub is reflected by the fact that the Ghana Police Service
Ghana Police Service
The Ghana Police Service is the main law enforcement agency of Ghana. The service is under the control of the Ghanaian Ministry of the Interior.-Functions:The service was established to perform the following functions:#the detection of crime;...
maintains a special policing region devoted entirely to the city.
Climate
Tema is characterised by a dry equatorial climate. It is the driest part of southern Ghana, experiencing average annual rainfall of about 790 millimetres (31.1 in). Average temperatures are high year-round.Seaport
Tema Port, officially opened in 1962, is the biggest of the two seaports in Ghana. It has a water-enclosed area of 1.7 square kilometre and a total land area of 3.9 square kilometre. Apart from handling goods for Ghana, it is also a traffic junction, where goods are transhipped, and transit cargo destined for the landlocked countries of Burkina FasoBurkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
and Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
are received.
The port of Tema handles 80% of the nation’s import and export cargo. Most of the country’s chief export, cacao, is shipped from Tema.
The port has 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) of breakwaters, 12 deepwater berths, an outsize oil tanker
Oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...
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 TEU
Twenty-foot equivalent unit
The twenty-foot equivalent unit is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals...
s 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
DWT
DWT may stand for:* Driving While Texting, Is the act of composing, sending, or reading text messages, email, or making other similar use of the internet on a mobile device, while operating a motor vehicle, such as an automobile, truck or train....
dry dock and slipway facility. The harbour is operated by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority
Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority
The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority is the national port authority of Ghana, responsible for the governance, maintenance and operation of the ports of Ghana, principally the Port of Tema, the Fishing Harbour at Tema, and the Port of Takoradi at the twin cities of Sekondi-Takoradi...
.
Fishing harbour
Ghana has a long history of Atlantic fishing. The Tema fishing harbour is at the eastern end of the Tema commercial harbour. It comprises the Inner Fishing Harbour, the CanoeCanoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
Basin, the Outer Fishing Harbour, and a Commercial Area with marketing and cold storage facilities.
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
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
.
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 red fish
Red Fish
Red Fish is an album by the Northern Irish rock band The Moondogs, released in 2003. Red Fish is also another name for red drum.-Track listing:#"Getting off in Amsterdam"#"How can I tell her?"#"So beautiful"#"Bring on the sunshine"...
, and club and scad mackerel
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
) per fishing trip. The tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
vessels range from smaller versions of around 45–50 m in length, able to land 200-250 tonnes of catch, to larges versions with a length over all (LOA) 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 LOAs of 90–105 m), are mostly chartered
Chartered
Charter or Chartered might refer to different things:* Charter, a legal document conferring rights or privileges* Chartered , a professional credential* Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, a manufacturing company...
vessels which land between 700-1,400 tonnes of imported fish, mostly from Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
and Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
.
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 canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s. 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
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
Ghanaians. Their operations peak during the months of June–September. Main catches during this period are herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
s and salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
.
Artisanal canoe fishing is responsible for about 70% of the catch.
Secondary schools
SOS Hermann Gmeiner International College (SOS-HGIC), a private mixed boarding schoolBoarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
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
International school
An International school is loosely defined as a school that promotes international education, in an international environment, either by adopting an international curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national...
, Tema International School (TIS), and a senior high school, Tema Secondary School (TSS), which was built in September 1961 by decree of the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
.
Industry
The city's chief industrial products include aluminiumAluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, processed fish, refined petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
, textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
s, chemicals, food products, and cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
.
Major companies in Tema include:
- Volta Aluminium Company Ltd. (VALCO)
- Tema Oil Refinery (TOR)
- GHACEM Ghana Ltd.
- Nestle Ghana Ltd.
- Unilever Ghana Ltd.
- Pioneer Food Cannery Ltd. (PFC)
- Tex Styles Company Ltd. (formerly Ghana Textile Printing Company (GTP))
- ALUWORKS Ghana Ltd.
- Wahome Steel Ltd.
Twin cities
- GreenwichLondon Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Roanoke
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...