While the story of how the indigenous community of Tema moved from the original settlement near the current Tema Port to what is now Tema Newtown is well known, few realize that children were unwitting catalysts in the historic move.
Nii Amarh Soumponu II, the Tema Stool Secretary and Shipi, revealed in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that schoolchildren helped persuade their families to relocate by sharing their excitement about the new settlement.
“When we were moving from Tema Meridian, I was about nine years old,” Nii Soumponu recalled. The original settlement, located near the Meridian area, was displaced to make way for the port and the modern city infrastructure.
He explained that the first major structures in the new settlement, now known as Tema Newtown or Manhean, were schools. The Presbyterian and Anglican schools were built first, followed by the Methodist school.
Children from the old settlement were transported each morning in tipper trucks to attend classes at the new schools. “We would go to school in Community One, and they would come and pick us up in a tipper truck and bring us to Newtown,” he said.
For the children, the trips felt like an adventure. The modern buildings and organised layout of the new town fascinated them. In turn, they became informal ambassadors, returning home each afternoon to describe the new settlement’s beauty to their parents and grandparents.
“Without knowing it, we were used to convince our parents,” Nii Soumponu said. Over time, curiosity and excitement among children helped reluctant families accept the relocation voluntarily. The W.T. Mensah family was among the first to move.
Authorities had inventoried all houses in the old settlement and assigned replacement homes in Newtown. Once a family moved, their previous house near Meridian was demolished to prevent return, ensuring a smooth transition.
Decades later, Tema Newtown has become the cultural and traditional heart of the Tema people. Nii Soumponu’s account highlights how, during Ghana Month, even small actions—like schoolchildren traveling to new schools—can play a pivotal role in shaping a community’s history and facilitating major national development projects.
The relocation not only gave the Tema people a new home but also paved the way for the construction of Tema Port, now one of Ghana’s most important trade hubs.
