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Koforidua: An Unlikely Legacy of the Asante Defeat in 1874

Arial Photograph of Koforidua

What if I told you Koforidua did not exist as a town before Asante was defeated in 1874?

The Break Away
If there is something people do not want to remember, then it’s their losses that brought them to their lowest point. The British, under the leadership of Sir Garnet Wolseley, matched up to Kumasi and burnt it to the ground in February 1874. This defeat in the ‘Sagrenti War‘ enabled vassals confederated under the Asantehene to rebel.

Many political refugees from the Juaben state who were under Asante Hegemony took advantage of this Asante defeat. They immigrated to an area in the Gold Coast Protectorate called New Juaben (named after their original Juaben home). This movement is now celebrated annually by the people of New Juaben to reckon this event. This festival is named –Akwantukese, literarily translated as “the big travel”.

Arrival of the Juaben Immigrant
Upon arrival in the Gold Coast Protectorate, which ensured their security and independence from their former overlords -Asante, the Juaben immigrants dispersed their settlements. The chief of this new settlement established his palace- Ahemfie, at Koforidua.

Why is the place called Koforidua?
Akan names reveal more than one can imagine. According to oral tradition, the town -Koforidua- derived its name from Kofi Ofori, who built his home under a mahogany tree. This tree served as shelter (rest top) for traders and farmers. This dwelling of Kofi Ofori became popular and was used as a landmark for traders and farmers. The amalgamation of “Kofi Ofori’s” name and “dua”, which means tree, became the name of this settlement. Koforidua is now the capital of the New Juaben state. Koforidua began to grow from a refugee settlement swiftly into a major urban centre in colonial.

How did Koforidua become an urban centre?
The establishment of Koforidua coincided with introducing cocoa into the Gold Coast. The dispersing of the settlement of the New Juaben migrants in their new settle led to the growth of many communities around Koforidua, which made it the head of these new settlements. These communities embraced the lucrative planting of cocoa. The gradual growth attracted colonial authorities, European migrants, and missionaries.

In the period 1913-20, Koforidua grew into a small town due to the nearly simultaneous arrival of the colonial administration, the railroad, and a multi-national trading firm.

The colonial authorities, envisaging the economic potential of this new settlement, put in place urban planning and infrastructural development to open up Koforidua and exploit it and its satellite settlement. They built roads, railways, designated land for migrants Muslims, and structures such as prisons, courts, and schools, among others—this further elevated Koforidua’s status among other New Juaben settlements.

Picture by Pure Ghana

A picture of a colonial building in Koforidua

In the period 1913-1920, the growth of Koforidua’s population was spurred by two important factors. First, the availability of fertile land began to attract large numbers of migrants from surrounding areas. Ewe from British and French Togoland, and Muslims from the Northern Territories, came either in search of land for cocoa farming or to work as casual agricultural labour.

The growth of people’s pockets due to cocoa production increased trade in Koforidua. It became an important market for traders in south-eastern Ghana. It now boasts of many governmental institutions because it serves as the capital of the Eastern Region of Ghana. This set up the town to grow to become an urban centre among many rural communities until independence. The town continued to grow after independence and continued to serve as an urban centre among many communities.

Map of Koforidua, Ghana (source: Town and Country Planning Department, Koforidua, 1999).

Koforidua Today
Koforidua is one of the significant political and economic centres in Ghana. It boasts tourist attractions such as the Boti and Akaa Falls, the sacred Obua Tabir Mountains, and the largest artificial lake in the world. It is one of the best tourist destinations in Ghana.

Sources
Campbell, J. (1994). Urbanization, Culture and the Politics of Urban Development In Ghana, 1875-1980. Urban Anthropology and Studies of Cultural Systems and World Economic Development, 23(4), 409–450. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40553273

“Koforidua | Encyclopedia.com”. Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Hanson, Kobena. (2005). Landscapes of Survival and Escape: Social Networking and Urban Livelihoods in Ghana. Environment and Planning A. 37. 1291-1310. 10.1068/a3750

Credit: Pure Ghana

Written By

Stephen Baidoo is a writer who loves to research about Ghana's past. He brings Ghana's history to life with each unearthed fact and forgotten narrative, transforming dry dates into passionate stories.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Emmanuel Armarfio

    April 9, 2024 at 3:21 pm

    Where is this artificial man made lake in koforidua. I thought the only man made lake we have is the Volta lake in akosombo in the kwami district.

    • sbaidoo8

      April 9, 2024 at 3:32 pm

      Thanks for drawing my attention to this. However, the Volta Lake is one of the major destinations in the Eastern region and about 5Okm from Koforidua. It is for Koforidua’s proximity to the Volta Lake that I added it to the go to areas when one visits Koforidua.

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