Mankessim

Mankessim is a town in the Central Region^[1][2][3] of Ghana,^[4] West Africa. It is approximately 75 km west of Accra, on the main road to Sekondi-Takoradi.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[5] The town is located at an elevation of 75 meters above sea level and its population according to the 2010 Census was 38,313.^[6]

Mankessim
Mankessim street
Mankessim Location in Ghana
Coordinates: 5°16′N 1°01′W
Country	Ghana
Region	Central Region

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.^[5] 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.^[7]

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".^[8]: 29 In the eighteenth century, the settlement was known among English traders and colonists as Murram.^[8]: 35

In the mid-nineteenth century, the chief of Mankessim was the paramount chief of the Fante.^[9]: 31 John Brandford Crayner lists the following recorded chiefs of Mankessim:^[9]: 16

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

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^[10] located near the Manna Heights Hotel and Conference Center, Fynba Hospital, and a branch of the Sanford World Clinic in Ghana (inaugurated in 2013 ^[11]).

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. Examples include Manna Heights Hotel and Conference Center and Fowaa Lodge.^[12]

Banks

• Ghana Commercial Bank
• Kakum Rural Bank
• Multi Credit
• Agricultural Development Bank

Education

Mankessim currently has several secondary schools. These include:

• Mankessim Senior High School^[13]
• Obama College
• St. Andrews College

Notable people

• Lydia Forson; actress - born in 1984^[14]
• Augustine Arhinful; footballer - born in 1994.
• Nanahemaa Ama Amissah III; Paramount Queen mother of Mankessim^[15]

See also

• Mankessim murder

External links

• Ghana-pedia webpage - Mankessim