Our History

The San Diego–Tema Sister City Society was formally established in 1976, led by Quincella Kimbrough, a member of the San Diego International Affairs Board, who formed a community-based committee to bring the partnership to life.

The creation of this sister city fulfilled the vision of Leon Williams, San Diego’s first African American City Councilman, who dreamed of establishing a formal connection with the African continent.

In the late 1970s, StarKist Tuna shipped from San Diego to Tema’s newly built deep-water port — the largest on the African continent at the time. This shared identity as international port cities made Tema, Greater Accra Region, Ghana a natural and meaningful match for San Diego.

Since then, the San Diego–Tema Sister City Society has continued to foster friendship, cultural understanding, and economic collaboration between the people of San Diego and Tema.