Accra Osu through time

The National Archives UK - CO 1870 A photograph from the CO 1069 series at the UK National Archives, showing Accra, Ghana, around 1870, during the period of British colonial rule on the Gold Coast.

Accra östlicherStadtteil 1900 This photograph, taken around 1900, shows the eastern district of Accra, the coastal city that later became the capital of Ghana. At the time it was part of the British Gold Coast colony on the West African coast.

Accra Osu 1900 This image, cataloged as spanning the years 1885 to 1914, shows the Osu district of Accra, the capital of Ghana on the Gulf of Guinea. Osu was one of the city's earliest European trading settlements, home first to Danish and later to British coastal forts.

Accra in 1903 1903 The market hall in Accra is pictured in this 1903 photograph, taken during the period when the city served as the capital of Britain's Gold Coast colony.

Accra - New bungalows on the ridge 1915 New bungalows built on the ridge above Accra, Gold Coast, photographed in 1915 as colonial administrators expanded residential construction in the city for British officials stationed there.

The National Archives UK - CO 1915 This 1915 photograph of Accra, from the UK National Archives' Colonial Office collection, was taken while the city served as capital of the British Gold Coast colony.

The National Archives UK - CO 1915 Held in the UK National Archives' Colonial Office collection, this 1915 image was taken in Accra, capital of the British Gold Coast colony.

EU: Accra, Ghana: African people waiting to be inoculated on the porch and steps of a (hospital ?) building. Photograph, 1910/1920. (1915) 1915 People wait to be inoculated on the steps of a hospital building in Accra, Ghana, in this photograph from around 1915, during the era of British colonial administration of the Gold Coast.

The National Archives UK - CO 1925 This 1925 photograph from the UK National Archives' Colonial Office collection was taken in Accra, then part of the British Gold Coast colony, now Ghana.

The National Archives UK - CO 1925 Another 1925 image from the same Colonial Office archive, photographed in Accra, in what was then the Gold Coast.

The National Archives UK - CO 1 1925 A 1925 photograph of Accra held in the UK National Archives' Colonial Office CO 1069 series, part of an extensive collection of images documenting the Gold Coast under British colonial rule.

The National Archives UK - CO 1929 This 1929 photograph of Accra, from the UK National Archives' Colonial Office collection, dates from the period when the city was capital of the British Gold Coast.

EU: Christiansborg, binnenplaats (1953) 1953 The courtyard of Christiansborg Castle in Accra, photographed in 1953; built by the Danes in the seventeenth century, the fort later served successive colonial and Ghanaian governments.

EU: Poort bij Christiansborg (1966) 1966 A gateway near Fort Christiansborg in Accra, photographed in 1966, less than a decade after Ghana's independence in 1957. The fort, originally built by Danish traders in the 17th century, later served as the seat of Ghana's government.

EU: Straat met busvervoer bij Christiansborg (1966) 1966 Buses move along a street near Fort Christiansborg in Accra in this 1966 photograph, showing the public transport serving the area around what was then a seat of Ghanaian government administration.

EU: Fort Christiansborg, overzicht, vanuit westen (1966) 1966 Fort Christiansborg in Accra, viewed from the west in 1966. Built by Danish traders in the 17th century and later held by Britain, the fort became known as Christiansborg Castle and served for decades as a seat of government in Ghana.

EU: Zicht op stad vanuit fort, voormalige gevangenis (1966) 1966 A view over Accra from a fort that had formerly served as a prison, photographed in 1966, six years into Ghana's independence.

EU: Overzicht gevels aan straat (1966) 1966 Building façades along a street in Accra, captured in 1966, offering a glimpse of the Ghanaian capital's urban fabric in the mid-1960s.

EU: Overzicht met opgegraven fundamenten (1966) 1966 Excavated foundations uncovered in Accra, photographed in 1966, likely documenting archaeological or building work underway in the city at the time.

EU: Woonhuis Nederlandse ambassadeur, tuingevel (1966) 1966 The garden-facing facade of the Dutch ambassador's residence in Accra, captured in 1966, not long after Ghana's independence when foreign missions were establishing their presence in the young capital.

EU: Moskee (1966) 1966 A mosque in Accra, Ghana, photographed in 1966. Islam has been present along the coast for centuries through trade networks, and the capital's mosques have long served its Muslim residents and traders.

EU: Zicht op stad vanuit fort, voormalige gevangenis (2000) 2000 A view over Accra, Ghana, seen from a former fort and prison in 2000. Several of the coastal forts built by European traders along Ghana's Gold Coast were later repurposed by colonial and postcolonial authorities as prisons.

EU: Overzicht gevels aan straat (2000) 2000 Building facades along a street in Accra, Ghana, photographed in 2000. Ghana's capital grew up around its colonial-era coastal forts before expanding into the modern city of the twentieth century.

EU: Overzicht met opgegraven fundamenten (2000) 2000 Excavated foundations photographed in Accra, Ghana, in 2000, likely uncovered during archaeological work at one of the city's historic fort sites along the Gold Coast.

EU: Overzicht kerk (2000) 2000 A general view of a church building in Accra, Ghana, photographed in 2000, the coastal capital of the country.

Overzicht - Accra - - RCE 2000 Catalogued as image 20375379 in an RCE heritage survey documenting former Dutch colonial sites on Ghana's coast, this photograph offers a general overview of Accra, Ghana's capital, as it appeared in 2000.

Overzicht - Accra - - RCE 2000 Registered under image number 20375393 in the same RCE survey of former Dutch colonial heritage on the Gold Coast, this photograph again records an overview of Accra as it appeared in 2000.

Overzicht binnenplaats - Accra - - RCE 2000 This 2000 photograph, RCE image 20375381, documents a courtyard view in Accra as part of a Dutch heritage survey of former colonial-era sites along Ghana's coast.

Overzicht voorgevel ziekenhuis, oogkliniek - Accra - - RCE 2000 Catalogued by the RCE as image 20375394, this 2000 photograph shows the facade of a hospital building with an eye clinic in Accra, recorded as part of the same Dutch heritage documentation project.

EU: Accra, Jamestown street scene with wooden house (2000) 2000 Around 2000, this photograph shows a street scene in Jamestown, Accra, Ghana, featuring a wooden house typical of the old fishing district that grew up around the city's historic harbor.

EU: Accra, colonial-era building on street corner (2000) 2000 This photograph, taken around 2000, shows a colonial-era building on a street corner in Accra, Ghana, part of the older architectural fabric still standing in the capital.

EU: Accra street with wooden colonial building, Miami Vice Enterprises shop (2000) 2000 Around 2000, this photograph captured an Accra street lined by a wooden colonial-era building, including a shop trading under the name Miami Vice Enterprises, a small sign of the city's everyday commerce.

EU: Accra, historic church with clock tower (2000) 2000 This photograph, taken around 2000, shows a historic church with a clock tower in Accra, Ghana, one of several older religious buildings scattered through the capital.

EU: Accra, historic slave house courtyard with palm tree (2000) 2000 Around 2000, this image shows the courtyard of a historic house in Accra, Ghana, associated with the slave-trade era, with a palm tree standing at its center amid the surrounding walls.

EU: James Fort Lighthouse, Jamestown Accra, with market stalls (2000) 2000 This photograph, taken around 2000, shows the James Fort Lighthouse in Jamestown, Accra, Ghana, with market stalls set up nearby, illustrating the district's mix of old fortification and daily trade.

Accra Road 2015 A road in Accra, Ghana's capital and largest city, photographed in 2015.

Tetteh Quarshie Interchange 6 2016 One of several 2016 views of the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange in Accra, Ghana. Opened in the 1990s at the junction of major routes into the capital, it was Ghana's first cloverleaf road interchange and takes its name from Tetteh Quarshie, credited with introducing cocoa cultivation to the country.

Tetteh Quarshie overhead bridge near Accra Mall 4 2016 An overhead pedestrian bridge near the Accra Mall, close to the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange in Ghana's capital, photographed in 2016. The interchange area developed into a major commercial hub on the eastern approach to Accra.

Tetteh Quarshie Interchange 9 2016 Traffic flows through the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange in Accra, Ghana, in this 2016 photograph. The junction, named for the man who brought cocoa seedlings to Ghana in the nineteenth century, remains one of the city's busiest crossroads.

Tetteh Quarshie Interchange 8 2016 Another 2016 image of the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, a key road junction in Accra, Ghana, linking the capital to the Akuapem highlands and towns to the east.

La Tante DC10 Restaurant 2016 La Tante DC10 Restaurant in Accra, Ghana, is built from the fuselage of a decommissioned Ghana Airways aircraft, repurposed as an eatery and turned into a well-known local landmark after the airline ceased operations.

La Tante DC10 Restaurant 1 2016 Another view of La Tante DC10 Restaurant in Accra, Ghana, the eatery constructed from the remains of a former Ghana Airways plane and now a distinctive fixture of the city.

Airport City Accra 2018 A view of Airport City, the business and residential district that has grown around Kotoka International Airport in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Photographed in 2018.

Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences 01 2019 The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, the country's national academy for advancing scholarship in the arts and sciences, is based in Accra. This building was photographed in 2019.

Aperçu de la ville d'Accra au Ghana 01 2024 A street-level view of Accra, Ghana's capital and largest city, photographed in 2024. Accra sits on the Gulf of Guinea coast and serves as the country's administrative and commercial center.

Aperçu de la ville d'Accra au Ghana 02 2024 Another 2024 view across Accra, Ghana, showing the everyday urban landscape of the country's capital city on the Gulf of Guinea coast, where high-rise development sits alongside older low-rise neighborhoods.

Aperçu de la ville d'Accra au Ghana 03 2024 Daily street activity in Accra, Ghana, captured in 2024 as part of a series documenting the city's urban landscape. As Ghana's capital and largest city, Accra is home to a rapidly growing population and expanding road network.

Embouteillage à Accra au Ghana 01 2024 Traffic congestion in Accra, Ghana, photographed in 2024. Rapid urban growth in recent decades has made traffic jams a familiar sight on the streets of Ghana's capital.

Accra city 1 2025 A view over Accra, Ghana's capital and largest city, photographed in 2025; Accra grew from a cluster of coastal Ga fishing settlements into the country's main political and commercial center.