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Mankessim

Mankessim
FieldValue
official_nameMankessim
native_name
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image_skylineFile:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-34-38-2-001.jpg
image_captionMankessim street
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pushpin_mapGhana
pushpin_label_positionbottom
pushpin_map_captionLocation in Ghana
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_name[[Image:Flag of Ghana.svg25px]] Ghana
subdivision_type1Region
subdivision_name1Central Region
subdivision_type2District
leader_title1
established_title
established_title2
established_title3
unit_prefImperial
area_total_km2
area_land_km2
population_as_of2005
population_blank1_titleEthnicities
population_blank2_titleReligions
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Mankessim is a town in the Central Region of Ghana, West Africa. It is approximately 75 km west of Accra, on the main road to Sekondi-Takoradi. It is the traditional headquarters of the Fante ethnic group of Ghana. Mankessim's history is linked to three famed warriors: Obrumankoma, Odapagyan and Oson, who helped the Fante people migrate from Techiman in the current Bono Region to Adoagyir in the Central Region. The town is located at an elevation of 75 meters above sea level and its population according to the 2010 Census was 38,313.

Mankessim is the traditional paramountcy for all Fante-speaking people and was the location of the sacred Nananom Pow (sacred grove) which is also near Obidan. It has a large market that attracts traders from Ghana and beyond. Just as in other prominent Fante towns, Mankessim has Asafo companies, traditional military groups which no longer fight wars but are acknowledged for their role in the history and development of the town.

History

Chief enstoolment

In many oral traditions of the Fante people, Mankessim was the first Akan settlement to be founded after the Fantes migrated to the Atlantic coast from the wooded interior of the region, led by the legendary founders Oburumankoma, Odapagyan, and Oson. (Other traditions place Mankessim as a secondary settlement to Kwaman.) According to Rebecca Shumway, "a lack of reliable sources prohibits dating this migration with any certainty, but historians tend to agree that the Akan settlement at Mankessim occurred prior to the arrival of Portuguese traders on the Ghana coast in the 1470s". In the eighteenth century, the settlement was known among English traders and colonists as Murram.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the chief of Mankessim was the paramount chief of the Fante. John Brandford Crayner lists the following recorded chiefs of Mankessim:

  1. Eduono-Egyin 1502
  2. Kweku Befi 1585
  3. Ɔkofo Gyesi 1601
  4. Boa Amponsem 1740
  5. Adoko Panyin 1827
  6. Adoko Kuma 1831
  7. Nana Obosu 1844
  8. Kwesi Edu 1851
  9. Kweku Mbir 1860
  10. Edu Agyeman 1910
  11. Aborbora-Katakyi 1915
  12. Boako 1922
  13. Adoko II 1925–68
  14. Adoko V 1969–76
  15. Nana OSIPII III 2020 -

Health

Mankessim has a number of hospitals and clinics, and therefore, access to healthcare in the town is quite high. Some of these health centers are the Mercy Women's hospital located near the Manna Heights Hotel and Conference Center, Fynba Hospital, and a branch of the Sanford World Clinic in Ghana (inaugurated in 2013 ).

Recreation

There are a lot of attractive places to visit in this town including ecological and cultural sites. There are also reputable hotels and guest houses available where visitors can lodge and rest.

Education

Mankessim currently has several secondary schools. These include:

  • Mankessim Senior High School
  • Obama College
  • St. Andrews College

Notable people

  • Lydia Forson; actress - born in 1984
  • Augustine Arhinful; footballer - born in 1994.
  • Nanahemaa Ama Amissah III; Paramount Queen mother of Mankessim

References

References

  2. "MANKESSIM IRRIGATION SCHEME". Ghana Government.
  3. "MANKESSIM CELEBRATES AFAHYE AND PEACE CONFERENCE". Modern Ghana.
  4. "Roads being fixed since 2017 — Minister".
  5. "I should've been closer to my father - Quamina MP - MyJoyOnline.com".
  6. Shumway, Rebecca. (2011). "The Fante and the Transatlantic Slave Trade". Boydell & Brewer.
  7. Ghana Statistical Service. (2014). "Ghana 2010 Population & Housing Census - District Analytical Report for Mfantseman District".
  8. "Fante confederacy {{!}} African history [late 17th century-1824] {{!}} Britannica".
  9. Shumway, Rebecca. (2011). "The Fante Shrine of Nananom Mpow and the Atlantic Slave Trade in Southern Ghana". The International Journal of African Historical Studies.
  10. Crayner, John Brandford. (1979). "Akweesi and the Fall of Nananom Pɔw". Methodist Book Depot.
  11. "Women's hospital at Mankessim suspends free fistula surgeries".
  12. (14 December 2013). "Sanford World Clinic inaugurated at Mankessim".
  13. (2024-05-06). "Home Page - Ghana Education Service - GES".
  14. [http://blog.irokotv.com/irokotv-nollywood-star-birthday-lydia/ Irokotv Nollywood Birthday]{{Dead link. (August 2025)
  15. "Pay more attention to Obstetric Fistula - Mankessim queen mother".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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