Traditional set up

The culture of the people of Tema is seen in their way of life. These include inherited ideas, beliefs, values and knowledge. Since culture is dynamic, some practices of the people have undergone changes over the years.

Tema was created out of a cluster of small fishing villages. History has it that “Torman”, as it was originally called was founded by a migrating people called the ‘Kpeshie’s’ who were Gas. They brought along seeds of the gourd plant, which they planted at their new-found site. The seeds thrived very well producing lots of gourds and the area was referred to as “Torman”, meaning a town of gourds, which stood at where the defunct Meridian Hotel is located. The traditional people were later relocated to their present location at TemaManhean in 1961 when the TemaHabour was constructed.

 Festivals

The traditional festivals celebrated by the people are Kpledzoo and Homowo. “Kpledzoo” celebrated between March and April whiles “Homowo”, which literally means hooting at hunger is celebrated from August to September every year. During these festivals people from all walks of life in the traditional area are brought together for the celebration.

The indigenous occupation of the people is fishing and is forbidden for fishermen to go to sea on Tuesdays. This deprives fishmongers and others engaged in fishing activities of their income for the day, and as such some form of revenue is lost to the Assembly.

 Ethnic diversity

The original settlers of Tema are the Ga-Dangmes. However, because it is a popular destination of migrants, several ethnic groups can be found here. The dominant ethnic groups are the Akan, Ga-Dangme and Ewe. Other fairly well represented groups are the Mole-Dagbani and the Guans. The diverse nature of the inhabitants fosters interethnic tolerance and social solidarity that has promoted peace and harmony in the district. This has also reduced ethnocentrism.

The religious composition of the Metropolis population is diverse since the inhabitants are of varied background. The prominent amongst them are Christians, Moslems and Traditionalists.

Religious Affiliation

There are several Christian denominations (Catholics, Protestants [Anglicans, Lutherans etc, Pentecostal/Charismatic and Other Christian), making Christianity the dominant religion in the TemaMetropolis (Table 3.8). The Pentecostal/Charismatic is the most notable Christian sect in the metropolis with 45.2 percent of the population out of which there are more females (54.3%) than males (45.7%). Protestants (Anglicans, Lutherans, etc.) form 24.6 percent of the religious groups. Adherents to Islamic religion are 6.8 percent and 3.6 percent of the population do not belong to any religion of which the highest proportion 66.7 percent are males and 33.3 percent are females. Traditionalists are the least in the population (0.3%) with almost equal proportions among males and among females.

Tourism and hospitality industry

Tourism and hospitality sectors play an important role in the economy of the Metropolis. The Tema Metropolis has a number of tourist attractions, such as, the Meridian Stone, Greenwich Meridian and the Sakumono beach. Tourism has the potential of diversifying the Metropolitan economy if the sector is given the needed attention, as well as, generating employment and revenue for TMA. Furthermore, there are 350 hotels and guest houses in the Metropolis. The Sakumono beach is one of the investment areas which have not been tapped into, and TMA, foreign and local investors need to channel resources to this sector for development.