Trade with European states began after contact with the Portuguese in the 15th century. In 1874 England established control over some parts of
the country assigning these areas the status of Gold Coast. The Gold Coast declared independence from the
United Kingdom in 1957 and established the nation of Ghana. This made it the
first African country to gain independence from colonial rule. 99% of Ghana's population are African
people. Ghana, known as "the Switzerland of Africa", has a democracy, political stability from 2001 and has enjoyed
rapid economic
growth and rising human development from 2001 to 2009.
Ghana is the second largest cocoa producer in the world, one of the world's largest gold producers, petroleum and natural gas producer, and Ghana is home to Lake Volta,
the largest artificial lake in the world by surface area.
Accra is the capital
city of Ghana, with an
estimated urban population of 4,010,054 as of 2012. Accra is the eleventh-largest metropolitan area
in Africa. Accra stretches along the
Ghanaian Atlantic
coast and extends north into
Ghana's interior. Originally built around a port, it served as the capital of
the British Gold Coast between
1877 and 1957. Once merely a 19th-century suburb of Victoriaborg, Accrahas since transitioned into
a modern metropolis; the city's architecture reflects this history, ranging
from 19th-century architecture buildings to modern skyscrapers and apartment blocks. The central business district of Accra contains the city's main
banks and department stores, and an area known as the Ministries, where Ghana's government administration is concentrated. Economic activities
in Accra include the financial and agricultural sectors, Atlantic fishing, and
the manufacture of processed food, lumber, plywood,
textiles, clothing and chemicals.
The word Accra is believed to be derived from the Akan word nkran,
meaning "ants",
a reference to the numerous manner in which the natives of Accra kept
re-appearing like army ants during a war with the Ashantis. Initially, Accra
was not the most prominent trading centre; the trade hubs of the time were the
ports at Ada and Prampram, along with the inland centres of Dodowa and Akusa.
The Dutch built the nearby outposts of James Fort and Ussher Fort.
By the 17th century, the Portuguese,
followed by the Swedish, Dutch,
French, British and Danish, had
constructed forts in the city. In the
1850s, Denmark sold Christiansborg and their other forts to the British.
In 1873, after decades of tension between the British and Akans of south Ghana, the British attacked
and virtually destroyed the Ashanti Region capital of Kumasi. The British
then captured Accra in 1874, and in 1877, at the end of the second Anglo-Asante
War, Accra replaced Cape Coast as the capital of the British Gold Coast. This decision was made
because Accra had a drier climate relative to Cape Coast. Until this time, the
settlement of Accra was confined between Ussher Fort to the east and the Korle
Lagoon to the west.
As the Gold Coast's administrative functions were moved
to Accra, an influx of British settlers began, and the city began to expand to
accommodate the new residents. Victoriaborg was
formed in the late nineteenth century as an exclusive European residential
neighborhood, located to the east of the city limits of the time. The
boundaries of Accra were further stretched in 1908. This expansion entailed the
creation of a native-only neighbourhood, intended to accommodate members of the
native population as a means of relieving congestion problems in the
overcrowded city centre. Adabraka was thus established to the north of
the city. One of the most influential
decisions in the history of the city was that of building the Accra-Kumasi
railway in 1908. This was to connect Accra, the country's foremost port at that
time, with Ghana's main cocoa-producing
regions. In 1923 the railway was completed, and by 1924 cocoa was Ghana's
largest export. The British Gold Coast
heavily influenced the shape that Accra took during this period. For example, racial segregation of neighborhoods was mandated by law
until 1923, and all new buildings were required to be built out of stone or
concrete. Despite these regulations, British settlers of the Gold Coast were
very hesitant to invest any large amount of money into the city to maintain its
infrastructure or improve public works. This did not change until the
governorship of Sir
Frederick Gordon Guggisberg. Among
the achievements of Guggisberg was the building of a bridge across the Korle
Lagoon in 1923, which opened the land west of the lagoon for settlement.
Guggisberg also oversaw the building of hospitals and schools. Such improvements led to
an increase in Accra’s population due to the migration of rural dwellers into the city,
and the immigration of increasing numbers of British businessmen and
administrators.
When Kwame
Nkrumah became Ghana's first
post-independence Prime Minister in 1957, he created his own plan for
Accra's development. Instead of creating spaces to serve the elite, Nkrumah
sought to create spaces to inspire pride and nationalism in his people and people throughout
Africa. Rather than creating ornamental
fountains and a large Parliament complex, Nkrumah decided to build landmarks
such as Independence Square, the State House, and the Organisation of African
Unity building, and to refurbish Christianborg Castle. Nkrumah decided to leave
the Atlantic coastal region undeveloped, so as to not detract attention away
from the Community Centre or Independence Square, lending both spaces symbolic
significance. The modern city is centred
around original built British, Danish and Dutch forts and their surrounding
communities: Jamestown near the British James Fort, Osu near the Danish fort of Christiansborg (now Osu Castle),
and Ussherstown near the Dutch Ussher fort.
Today, Accra has several tourist attractions, including
the National Museum of Ghana, the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, the
National Archives of Ghana and Ghana's central library, the National Theatre,
the Accra Centre for National Culture, a lighthouse,
and a Sports Stadium. Accra is a centre
for manufacturing, marketing, finance, insurance, and transportation. Its
financial sector incorporates a central bank, nine commercial banks (with 81
branches), four development banks (with 19 branches), four merchant banks (with
seven branches), three discount houses, one home finance mortgage bank,
multiple building societies, Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), foreign exchange bureauxs, finance houses, insurance
companies, insurance brokerage firms, two savings and loans companies, and
numerous real estate developers, with industrial sites and residential
developments. The road network in the
Accra Metropolitan Area totals 1,117 kilometres (694 mi) in length. The local transport, which is by far the most
common form of transport in Accra, trotros (motor vehicles repurposed for
passenger transport) are the biggest, most efficient and cost-effective way of
getting around the city. The buses are typically minibuses or vans, with the
most popular being Nissan Urvan 15-seaters and Mercedes Benz Sprinter or D 309
vans. Trotros are typically decorated with flags and stickers of various
countries or (local and international) soccer teams, and with witty sayings,
wisecracks, local proverbs (in English or local languages) or Bible verses
printed on the bus's rear. Trotros stop at any bus stop or gathering of people,
and can also be found at truck and taxi stations.
Accra is an amazing city, I feel safe, the people are
friendly and I look forward to seeing more of Ghana and all she has to
offer.
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