There is no longer a circle at Circle. Since 2016, a three-level interchange of flyovers and ramps has stood where the old roundabout used to be. Accra kept the name anyway.
Kwame Nkrumah Circle has long been one of the busiest points in the city. Roads from Kaneshie, Achimota, Adabraka, Lapaz and the Ring Road meet there, and the area is packed with trotro stations, markets, hawkers, bars and shops.
The old roundabout
For decades, traffic moved around a large roundabout that jammed at rush hour and was often blocked for long periods. Drivers, pedestrians and street traders shared the same space, and trotros stopped wherever passengers waved.
The interchange
In 2013, the government of John Mahama awarded the contract to design and build a three-tier interchange to the Brazilian contractor Queiroz Galvão. The project, worth about 74 million euros, was financed jointly by the governments of Ghana and Brazil. Parts of the interchange opened to traffic in stages, and Mahama formally opened it in November 2016. It separated the main traffic flows, so vehicles heading in different directions no longer had to fight for the same space.
The design included pedestrian walkways and areas for trotro terminals, although these were not always used as planned.
Did it work?
Traffic flow improved on the main routes, and journeys through the area became faster at many times of day. But Circle remains crowded. Street trading, informal stations and heavy pedestrian movement around the interchange still cause jams, especially in the evening.
More than a junction
Circle is also a place with its own identity. It is known for its nightlife, its bus stations for travel across the country, and its markets, including the busy trade in electronics and phones. It is also where many Accra residents first arrive from the regions.
Circle has seen tragedy too: the June 3, 2015 disaster, when fire and floods killed many people at a petrol station near the interchange, is remembered as one of Accra’s worst days.
Getting around it
Pedestrians still find Circle hard work. Footbridges and walkways exist, but many people cross at street level to reach trotro stations and market stalls, weaving between buses. Drivers new to the interchange often miss their ramp and have to loop back through the traffic.
A name that outlived the roundabout
The official name is the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange. Trotro mates still shout “Circle! Circle!” from the doors, and nobody has any trouble knowing where they mean.
