Sekondi, older and larger, was the site of Dutch Fort Orange (1642) and English Fort Sekondi (1682). It prospered from a railroad built in 1903 to hinterland mineral and timber resources. Takoradi was the site of Dutch Fort Witsen (1665) and has an important deepwater seaport, Akanland's first, built in 1928. During World War II, Takoradi Air Base was an important staging point for British aircraft destined for Egypt. 26 Squadron SAAF was also based in Takoradi during WWII flying anti-submarine and convoy protection patrols over the Atlantic. A number of South African airmen are buried in the Takoradi European Public cemetery.
The cities combined in 1946. On November 20, 1969, the city became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sekondi�Takoradi.
The city is currently named (although not officially) as the Oil City of Akanland due to the massive discovery of oil in the western region, and has attracted massive migration from people all over the worldh
