The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) is the local government authority that governs Ghana's twin-city capital of the Western Region — Sekondi-Takoradi — and it is one of the six Metropolitan Assemblies in the country, created under the Local Government Act, 1993 (Act 462) and now operating under the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936). **Where it sits.** STMA is the highest-tier of the 16 Metropolitan/Municipal/District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Western Region. It covers the two historic towns of Sekondi (the older administrative town) and Takoradi (the harbour and oil-services hub), plus surrounding communities such as Effia, Nkotompo, Kwesimintsim, Anaji, Kojokrom, Adiembra, Fijai and Apremdo. Its administrative headquarters is in Sekondi, at the old Western Regional Coordinating Council complex area. **How it is governed.** The Assembly is headed politically by a **Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE)**, appointed by the President in consultation with the Assembly, and administratively by a **Metropolitan Coordinating Director (MCD)** who is the chief civil servant. The Assembly has a General Assembly of elected and appointed members, a Presiding Member, and sub-committees (Finance & Administration, Works, Social Services, Justice & Security, etc.). Below the Assembly are the sub-metropolitan district councils and unit committees that handle grassroots matters. **What it does.** STMA is responsible for: - Sanitation and waste management (a chronic pressure point in the twin city) - Local roads, drainage and flood control - Markets (Takoradi Market Circle is the flagship), lorry parks and revenue collection - Permits, business operating licences and property rates — its main internally generated funds - Education (basic schools), health (polyclinics, CHPS compounds), and social welfare - Physical planning and development control, in coordination with the Western Regional Coordinating Council **Why it matters economically.** STMA hosts the **Takoradi Port** (Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority), the **Takoradi Thermal Power Station** at Aboadze nearby, and the onshore base for Ghana's offshore oil and gas industry following the 2007 Jubilee Field discovery. That oil-economy boom reshaped the city — rapid population growth, a housing squeeze, and a large expatriate and oil-services workforce — which is precisely why STMA's planning and revenue functions carry unusual weight. **A note on the current officeholders.** MCEs change with presidential appointments, and I don't have a verified source in front of me for who currently holds the STMA MCE position as of October 2026. If you need the sitting MCE's name, I can search deeper — or you can check the STMA's official channels or the Western Regional Coordinating Council directly. As the Akan say, *"Ti koro nkɔ agyina"* — one head does not go into council. STMA is exactly that: a council of many heads governing Ghana's oil city.