The planes pass low enough to read their logos, but nobody seems to mind. The Airport Residential Area, next to Kotoka International Airport, is the address many of Accra’s wealthiest residents, diplomats and executives prefer. Its quiet streets and large walled compounds sit minutes from the airport, the city’s newest business district and some of its best hotels.
Origins and Airport City
The neighbourhood lies south of Kotoka International Airport and the airport bypass, east of the Ridge and Kanda areas and north of Cantonments. Liberation Road, which runs past the Airport, is its main artery. The area developed as a residential zone with large plots for senior officials and expatriates during the colonial and early independence period. Its spacious layout reflected planning for an elite population.
From the 2000s, the land around the airport became Airport City, a business district with office towers, hotels, banks and shopping. Companies moved headquarters there, and the area’s skyline changed rapidly.
Embassies and prices
Diplomatic residences and offices are spread through the Airport Residential Area and neighbouring Cantonments. Security is tighter than in most of Accra, and many homes have guards and high walls. Property in the area is among the most expensive in Ghana. Rents are usually quoted in dollars, and large houses can command rents comparable to those in major international cities. Land is scarce, so new developments are often luxury apartments.
New apartments, hotels and traffic
Old bungalows have increasingly been replaced by gated apartment complexes aimed at expatriates, returning Ghanaians and investors. Developers market them with pools, gyms, generators and water storage. The area and nearby Airport City are home to international hotels, restaurants, cafés and nightlife spots that attract visitors and business travellers. Traffic on Liberation Road and around the airport can be heavy at peak times. Aircraft noise is a feature of daily life, especially in areas under the flight path.
Services and who lives there
The area has relatively reliable roads and security. Like the rest of Accra, it can face water and power interruptions, which wealthier residents manage with tanks, boreholes and generators. Residents include diplomats, executives of international companies, politicians, business owners and long-established Ghanaian families who have held property there for generations. The neighbourhood was built to be close to the airport. Its value today comes from being close to everything else that has grown up around it.
