On market days, the roads around Dome are packed with traders, buyers and trotros. A few kilometres away, on a quieter hill at Kwabenya, scientists work at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. The two neighbouring suburbs north of Accra could hardly be more different, yet together they show how the city’s edge has filled with homes, businesses and institutions over the last few decades.
Dome market and Kwabenya
Dome and Kwabenya lie north of Achimota and west of Madina, in the Ga East area. Roads connect them to Achimota, Taifa, Haatso and the Accra-Kumasi highway. Dome’s market is one of the busiest in the northern suburbs, selling food, clothing and household goods. Traders come from surrounding towns and farming areas. Kwabenya is home to the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, which conducts research in nuclear science, radiation protection, agriculture and medicine. Its research reactor is one of the few in West Africa.
Growth, traffic and flooding
As land in central Accra became expensive, families built homes in Dome, Kwabenya and nearby areas. The population grew rapidly from the 1990s onward. Commuters face heavy traffic on roads towards Achimota and the city centre, especially in the morning and evening. The area has many schools and churches, and the University of Ghana is not far away.
Some low-lying parts of the area flood after heavy rains, a problem linked to building in waterways. The area falls under the Ga East Municipal Assembly, with Abokobi as its capital. Residents in newer areas often rely on tankers and boreholes while waiting for piped water.
Business, community and the atomic commission
Small businesses, from hair salons to mechanic shops, line the main roads. Residents describe a lively, crowded area with a strong sense of community. Trotros link Dome to Achimota, Circle, Madina and other parts of the city. The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission was established in the 1960s, and its Kwabenya campus houses several research institutes. Scientists there work on food preservation, cancer treatment support, radiation safety and the training of nuclear scientists, which gives a quiet suburb an unusual place in national life.
Dome trades in tomatoes and fabric, and Kwabenya studies atoms. Both have become part of the same busy city that once ended a few miles to the south.
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