Africa Travel Buddy

 Central Accra is the cultural center as well as the main location for several government ministries, multinational’s headquarters and hotels. Accra is the capital city of Ghana and its named is derived from the word “Nkran” which means “ants”. It is interesting but peculiar at the same time that how can a big cosmopolitan be named after tiny insects. The city was name after ants because of the great number of anthills which existed around Accra. Nkran which is an Akan word explains that ants and the city somewhere had a strong association.
The people from Ghana tribe were the first to settle in Accra. They migrated from their early settlement which was at Ayawaso. According to the Ghanaa people, Accra was a perfect site for starting a new colonization as they never had an opportunity to flourish back in their original settlement due to their rivals, Akawamu people. At the beginning, Accra’s economy was not as prosperous as it should have been. It did not have a prominent trading center but the early settlers lived a better life. Ports at Prampram, Ada, Dodowa and Akusa were well-known in the region. Nonetheless, Accra became a popular slave trade center amongst the Europeans who has established forts near the city. These forts were Ussher Fort and James Fort. However, the area became a popular slave trade center until 1807 when the slave trade ended. By the end of 17th century, the city saw a great change as the foreigners include Danish, British, French, Dutch, Swedish and Portuguese settled and built forts in the town. Read More…