Current Time in Sekondi, Ghana

Sekondi stands on the Atlantic coast of southwestern Ghana, on a rocky headland above the Gulf of Guinea about two hundred kilometres west of Accra. Together with its neighbour Takoradi it forms the twin city of Sekondi Takoradi, the capital of the Western Region and the fourth largest urban area in the country. The coast here alternates between cliffs, fishing coves and long beaches backed by coconut palms, and the tropical climate brings warm temperatures throughout the year with two rainy seasons.

The combined city has a population of well over four hundred thousand, of whom a substantial share live in Sekondi. It is the older of the two settlements and remains the administrative seat, while Takoradi holds the deep water harbour and most of the commercial activity.

European traders were established here in the seventeenth century. The Dutch built Fort Orange in 1642 and the English built Fort Sekondi some forty years later, and the two stood within sight of one another on the same shore, a vivid illustration of the competition for trade along the Gold Coast. Fort Orange still crowns the hill above the harbour and today serves as a lighthouse.

Sekondi's modern importance began with the railway. The first line in the Gold Coast was built from here to Tarkwa and on to Kumasi at the beginning of the twentieth century in order to carry gold, manganese, timber and cocoa to the sea, and the railway workshops, headquarters and workers' housing made the town a centre of skilled labour and of early trade union organisation in West Africa. When the harbour at Takoradi opened in 1928 the focus of shipping moved westward, but Sekondi kept its administrative role and its naval base, which is the headquarters of the Ghana Navy's western command.

The discovery of oil offshore in 2007 transformed the region once again, bringing service companies, hotels and new housing, and earning Sekondi Takoradi the nickname of the oil city. Fishing remains vital, and the canoe basin and fish market at Sekondi are among the liveliest places on the coast, with brightly painted boats and busy trade in smoked fish.

The most colourful local tradition is the masquerade, known as Ankos or Fancy Dress, in which costumed groups parade and compete through the streets around New Year in a custom shaped by both African and European influences. The Kundum harvest festival of the Ahanta and Nzema peoples is celebrated across the region, and the twin city has an active music and highlife scene.

Beaches at Busua, forts at Axim and Dixcove, the stilt village of Nzulezo and the Ankasa forest reserve are all within reach.

Transport is provided by trotro minibuses and taxis, by the coastal highway to Accra and Côte d'Ivoire, by the port and by an airport at Takoradi.

Takoradi Technical University and several colleges serve the twin city, which is important as Ghana's western gateway and as a place where colonial forts, railway history and the modern oil economy meet the sea.