Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana

(It is typically spelt Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the most important metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is around Lake Bosomtwe, which is in a rain forest region, and is that the commercial, it is enriched with both culture and industrial, Kumasi is the capital of the Ashanti empire.

When locating Kumasi in the equator it is in the north which is about five hundred (500) kilometres and three hundred (300) kilometres that are (100  miles) north of the Gulf of guinea. Kumasi is alternatively referred to as “The Garden City” due to its many beautiful species of flowers and plants. it’s also called Oseikrom (Osei Tutu’s town). The capital of Ghana, Accra is the first largest city in Ghana while Kumasi is the second-largest city in Ghana.

The Central downtown of Kumasi includes areas like Adum, Bantama and Bompata (popularly called Roman Hill) features a concentration of banks, department stalls, and hotels. Financial and commercial sectors, pottery, clothing and textiles are the most economic services or activities in Kumasi. there’s an enormous timber processing community in Kumasi serving the requirements of individuals in Ghana. Bantama main street and Prempeh II Street in Bantama and Adum, respectively, are business and nightlife hubs in Kumasi.

checkout also: the capital of Ghana, Accra

History

Origins

Neolithic Age, people living in Kumasi initial staying was at the Lake Bosomtwe which record proves to be the world around Kumas

Etymology

The name Kumasi was taken from the Twi language, which means (under the Kum tree) and the word ase or asi means (under, down or below) and is employed in many place names in Ghana, like Obuasi, Daboase, and Kenyase.

Chief fetish priest named Komful Anokye at the end of the seventeen (17) century planted a tree that is “KUM” trees at different places: one at Kwaaman ruled by the Nananom Ayokofuo, another at Apemso-Bankofo ruled by NananomAduanafuo, and a 3rd at a village near Fomena and Amoafo called Oboani, which was ruled by NananomƐkoɔnafuo.

He wanted to ascertain which of those would become an excellent city for the dominion, as he was directed by the oracles.

The Kum tree at Kwaaman flourished and have become a really giant sequoia under which the King and his people often sat, then Kwaaman became Kum-ase meaning under Kum.

The tree was short and tiny which was at the town called Obtain

According to oral tradition, this small tree, however, produced a few other trees which were all small in size.

That is why the name of the village or the town was changed to Kuma which means small Kum

The Kum tree at Apemso-Bankofo didn’t grow in the least. After some few weeks, the leaves got rotten and therefore the tree fell down. So it had been said that the Kum tree was dead and therefore the village became Kum-awu and this later changed to become Kumawu.

Asanteman

The city rose to prominence in 1695 when it became capital of the Ashanti Confederacy thanks to the activities of its ruler Osei Tutu. The ruler of Kumasi referred to as the Asantehene, also served as ruler of the Confederacy, with their 1701 victory over Denkyira the Asante confederacy became the first state among the Ashantis.

Parts of the town, including the then royal residence, were destroyed by British troops within the Third Anglo-Ashanti War of 1874

Lady Mary Alice Hodgson, the primary English lady to go to Ashanti, wrote “The Siege of Kumasi” an account of the siege of the fort by the nationals of Ashanti and of the next march to the coast.

(She was the daughter of Hon. W. A. G. Young, C.M.G., former governor of the Gold Coast, and therefore the wife of Sir Frederick Mitchell Hodgson, K.C.M.G., the governor of the Gold Coast in 1900.)

Kumasi came to its original state after then  Ashanti King which name is Prempeh 1, release or returned from thirty years exile, and because of that the ceremonial control was over the Ashanti mini-states and the role that was to play be a king was restored by the colonial administration in 1935. the town holds a crucial place within the history of the Ashanti people, as legend claims that it had been here OkomfoAnokye received the golden stool, an embodiment of the soul of the Ashanti nation Ashanti. YaaAsantewaa, also a really renowned Ashanti warrior and leader, was taken to Seychelles Island and never returned.

Geography

Kumasi city has mostly been a tropical wet and also a dry climate, and it is always the same temperatures for the whole year. In a year the rain is Kumasi is about one thousand four hundred (1400mm)

The city almost features two season s: an extended season from March through July and a shorter rainy season from September to November.

Among the months which is long in the wet season is February to November with little rain in August almost like the remainder of West Africa, Kumasi experiences the harmattan during the “low sun” months. The harmattan in Kumasi start and last till December to February which becomes the main source of the season in Kumasi

Culture

Features of the town include Fort Kumasi (built by in 1896 to exchange an Asante fort and now a museum) and therefore the Kumasi Hat Museum.

Royal Asante attractions include:

1. the Kumasi National Cultural Centre
2. (including the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum with Asante regalia with a reproduction of the golden stool),
3. the OkomfoAnokye Sword
4. the Asantehene’s Palace (built-in 1972), and
5. therefore the Manhyia Palace, dating from 1925, now a museum.

Places of worship

Among the places of worship, which are predominantly Christian churches and temples, are:

1. Methodist Church
2. Church of the Province of West Africa (Anglican Communion)
3. Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana (World Communion of Reformed Churches)
4. Christ Apostolic Church International (which was the primary Pentecostal church in Ghana)
5. Ghana Baptist Convention (Baptist World Alliance)
6. Lighthouse Chapel International
7. Church of Pentecost
8. Assemblies of God and
9. the Catholic Church in Kumasi (Catholic Church).
10. There also are Muslim mosques.

Economy

The main occupations in Kumasi are professional like services and manufacturing.

Mining and exports Gold bars, cacao, and cacao

Manufacturing

Kumasi has 50% of the timber industry of Ghana, and therefore the Kaasi Industrial Area plays a crucial role within the local industry. The Guinness Ghana Breweries is predicated in Kumasi.

Energy

Solar panels are prevalent in Kumasi and Ashanti. solar power technology may be a major energy source and contributor to electricity generation in Ashanti.

Commerce

Much of the shopping and trading activity within the city takes place at Kumasi’s shopping streets, in and around Kejetia Market and Adum. These two areas – Kejetia and Adum – have a standard boundary. There also are heavy economic activities at Bantama and Asafo. Asafo especially is that the printing hub of Kumasi. Most of the printing wiped out Kumasi and Ashanti Region as an entire is completed in Kumasi.

Checkout: many things in Cape Coast

Education

Primary school

Both the government and the private or the individuals are in support of the primary school system in educating both boys and girls between the ages of 6 to 15

Secondary education

The elite all-boys senior high school schools in Kumasi are Prempeh College and Opoku Ware School. and therefore the elite all-girls schools in Kumasi are YaaAsantewaa Girls senior high school School and St. Louis senior high school School. Kumasi can talk of many good secondary schools now known as senior high schools

Tertiary institutions

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (formerly the Kumasi College of Technology) is that the biggest university within the Ashanti Region and therefore the second biggest in Ghana after the University of Ghana. Former Secretary-General of the United Nations , Kofi Annan attended this institution. variety of other public and personal universities and tertiary institutions have since been founded in Kumasi, a number of which are listed below.

Universities in Kumasi, contact and  Location

Transportation

Air

Kumasi is served by the Kumasi Airport. As of May 2020, two airlines offered regularly scheduled flights to Accra. Airlines servicing the airport included Africa World Airlines and keenness Air. The airport has undergone construction to permit for night operations.

Bus and taxicab

Public transport within the city is provided by transit buses, a mixture of privately owned mini-buses referred to as trotros, taxicabs and buses.

Trotros are usually converted mini-buses that run regular, well-known routes. Some taxis also run regular routes, which cost more but provide for an easier ride.

In 2002, the town introduced the metro bus services a mass rapid transit system for public road transport in Kumasi (MetroMass). This was to scale back congestion on roads and to form a bigger and more organised bus routine system within the city.

The taxi service company Uber started operations in Kumas after smooth operations in the capital of Ghana, Accra. Yenko Taxi offers a similar service.

Rail

The railway lines in Kumasi is to Sekondi-Takoradi and to the capital of Ghana, Accra and Accra. The train service has been suspended for several years due to damaged track, bridges and locomotives. Currently, no train is running from and to Kumasi thanks to the collapse of the railway corporation some years back. A $6 billion project to upgrade the railways was thanks to get underway in 2011.

Port

Bankura inland port was started but was stop since 2011 which was to be about 25 kilometres that are (16miles).

Sports

Kumasi Asante Kotoko which is the main soccer team in Kumasi has won a lot of national and Africa trophies and many awards but its main rival is the Accra Hearts of Oak based in the capital of Ghana, Accra Their Kumasi Stadium, also referred to as Baba Yara Stadium, was inbuilt 1959, renovated in 1978, and again in 2007 with a capaciousness of 40,000. it’s also the house of King Faisal Football Club, a premier division side.

There is a Golf club in Kumasi which is named royal Golf club in which the king in Kumasi or the Asantehene is the president. Former Leeds United and Ghana national eleven footballer Tony Yeboah was born in Kumasi. Professional wrestler Kofi Kingston was born in Kumasi.

Healthcare

The Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region in Ghana

Kumasi has the:

1. Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital to support medical training at the university
2. the West End Hospital
3. several other private hospitals, public clinics and little hospitals.

Recommended private medical facilities include:

1. Kumasi Rabito Clinic located at Ahondwo-Daban Kumasi behind the Unity Oil gasoline station.

There is also the KNUST hospital that serves people within the University and surrounding communities.

Recreational parks and gardens

Kumasi has four recreational parks which are opened to the general public. The list of recreational parks is Abbey’s Park which is found some few meters faraway from Kejetia, Jackson’s Park, Hero’s Park located on equivalent premises because the Baba Yara stadium, and eventually the Rattray Park which was commissioned in 2015.

Hotels in Kumasi and Location

Hotel in Cape Coast

Golden Tulip Kumasi City

4-star hotel

1.8 km from the centre

Located in Kumasi,

Golden Tulip Kumasi City features:

1. an outside pool
2. free WiFi.
3. The property features a garden with a picnic ground and sun terrace.

Oak Plaza Suites

3.7 km from the centre

Set in Kumasi, 1.9 km from Baba Yara Stadium,

Oak Plaza Suites offers:

1. accommodation with an outside swimming bath
2. free private parking,
3. a fitness centre and
4. a garden.

 Rockville Place

5 km from the centre

Located 5 km from Baba Yara Stadium,

Rockville Place offers:

1. a garden,
2. a terrace and air-conditioned
3. accommodation with a balcony and
4. free WiFi.

Roses Guest House (Vienna City)

2.4 km from the centre

Set in Kumasi, 3.9 km from Baba Yara Stadium,

Roses Guest House (Vienna City) offers:

1. accommodation with a restaurant
2. free private parking
3. a bar and
4. a casino

Senator Hotel

6 km from the centre

Senator Hotel is situated in Kumasi, 9 km from Baba Yara Stadium, and has:

1. a restaurant and a bar.
2. This 4-star hotel offers a 24-hour front desk.
3. The accommodation features free WiFi.

Noble House Hotel

3-star hotel

3.1 km from the centre

Offering: a restaurant, Noble House Hotel is found in Kumasi. :

1. Free Wi-Fi access is out there.
2. Rooms here will provide you with a flat-screen TV and air-condition.
3. there’s also a refrigerator.

Asantewaa Premier Guesthouse

10 km from the centre

Located 5.2 kilometres from KNUST arboretum, Asantewaa Premier Guesthouse offers :

accommodation in Kumasi. The property features:

1. free Wi-Fi,
2. meeting facilities and
3. a business centre.

Frederick’s Lodge

3.9 km from the centre

Set in Kumasi, 1.8 km from Baba Yara Stadium, Frederick’s Lodge offers:

1. accommodation with a restaurant
2. free private parking
3. an outside swimming bath and
4. a fitness centre.Opens in new window

Homey Lodge

7 km from the centre

Set in Kumasi, 7 km from Baba Yara Stadium, Homey Lodge offers:

1. accommodation with a restaurant
2. free private parking
3. a bar and
4. a shared lounge.

Open space hotel

750 m from centre

Situated in Kumasi, 3.8 km from Baba Yara Stadium, Open space hotel features:

1. accommodation with a restaurant
2. free private parking
3. a fitness centre
4. and a bar.

Creekside guest house

3.9 km from the centre

Situated in Kumasi, 4.2 km from Baba Yara Stadium, Creekside guest house features:

1. accommodation with an outside swimming bath
2. free private parking
3. a bar and
4. a shared lounge.

Sweet Garden Hotel

3.1 km from the centre

Located 2.1 km from Presbyterian Mission in Kumasi, Sweet Garden Hotel welcomes guests with;

1. a restaurant and bar
2. Free private parking is out there on-site
3. The rooms include a flat-screen TV.

Golden Bean Hotel

2.9 km from the centre

Located in Kumasi and within 1.7 km of Presbyterian Mission, Golden Bean Hotel features

1. an outside swimming bath
2. non-smoking rooms and
3. free WiFi.

A&D Rooms

2.8 km from the centre

Featuring a garden, A&D Rooms is situated in Kumasi, within 4.2 km of Baba Yara Stadium and three .9 km of Manhyia Palace. The bed and breakfast offers a terrace.s

 Nicole courts

3.6 km from the centre

Nicole courts, a property with a terrace, is found in Kumasi, 2.1 km from Baba Yara Stadium, 1.2 km from Kumasi City Mall, also as 4.1 km from Manhyia Palace.

 ANN’s Luxury Home

9 km from the centre

Set in Kumasi, 7 km from Kumasi City Mall and 9 km from Manhyia Palace, ANN’s Luxury Home provides:

1. accommodation with amenities like
2. free WiFi and
3. a flat-screen TV.

AD Rooms & Apartment

2.5 km from the centre

AD Rooms & Apartment is situated in Kumasi, 4.4 km from Baba Yara Stadium, 3.5 km from Manhyia Palace, and 4.4 km from Kumasi City Mall. This property is 2.1 km from Kumasi Cultural Centre.

Rexmar Hotel Ltd

3-star hotel

4.5 km from the centre

Situated in Kumasi, 7 km from Baba Yara Stadium, Rexmar Hotel Ltd features:

1. accommodation with a restaurant
2. free private parking,
3. an outside swimming bath and
4. a bar.

Royal Baron Hotel Kumasi

6 km from the centre

Situated in Kumasi, 8 km from Baba Yara Stadium, Royal Baron Hotel Kumasi features

1. accommodation with a restaurant
2. free private parking
3. a bar and
4. a terrace.

To Be Hotel

6 km from the centre

Situated in Kumasi, 5 km from Baba Yara Stadium, To Be Hotel features:

1. accommodation with a restaurant
2. free private parking
3. a bar and
4. a shared lounge.

Evergreen Executive Hostel

10 km from the centre

Located 15 km from Baba Yara Stadium, Evergreen Executive Hostel provides:

1. accommodation
2. with free WiFi and
3. free private parking.
4. A petit dejeuner is out there daily at the bed and breakfast.

Gya-son Royal Guest House

3-star hotel

5 km from the centre

Set in Kumasi, 9 km from Baba Yara Stadium, Gya-son Royal Guest House offers accommodation with a restaurant, free private parking, a bar and a terrace.

Wadoma Royale Hotel

10 km from the centre

Located in Kumasi, 15 km from Baba Yara Stadium, Wadoma Royale Hotel provides:

1. accommodation with a restaurant
2. free private parking,
3. a bar and
4. a garden.

Agyemang Apartment

8 km from the centre

Featuring a garden, Agyemang Apartment offers accommodation in Kumasi, 6 km from Baba Yara Stadium and 5 km from Kumasi City Mall. The accommodation is 9 km from the Manhyia Palace

Okumah Hotel

2-star hotel

5 km from the centre

Set in Kumasi, 3.7 km from Baba Yara Stadium, Okumah Hotel offers:

1. accommodation with a restaurant
2. free private parking and
3. a bar.

Manhyia Palace

Manhyia_Palace_Museum

In Akan manhyia means the gathering of the town people palace is where theAsanteehen stays or live or the seat of the king in the Ashanti kingdom or in other words his official residence. it’s located at Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Kingdom and Ashanti Region.

The first palace is now a museum. King Opoku Ware II built the new palace, which is on the brink of the old one and is employed by the present Asantehene, King Osei Tutu II.

History

The palace was inbuilt 1925 by British a while after the Third Anglo-Ashanti War in 1874, when the British had destroyed the first palace built by Asantes.

The British were said to possess been impressed by the dimensions of the first palace and therefore the scope of its contents, including “rows of books in many languages.”, but thanks to events within the War of the Golden Stool, British demolished the royal palace with explosives.

The palace consequently erected maybe a kilometre from the Centre for National Culture, Kumasi.

Upon the return from exile of the Asantehene Nana Prempeh I from the Seychelles Islands, the building was offered to him to be used as his residence. This was because, before the Asantehene’s exile, his old palace had been burnt down within the YaaAsentewa War.

The war was fought between British and therefore the Asantes due to the refusal of the Asantehene to supply the Golden stool to the then governor of the Gold Coast. Prempeh I only accepted the offer after he had purchased the value of the building fully.

Two kings lived within the palace, namely OtumfuoPrempeh I and Otumfuo Sir OseiAgyemanPrempeh II, KBE, the 13th and 14th kings of the Asante nation.

Opoku Ware II was the primary king to measure within the new palace, which he occupied until his death in 1999. the present AsanteheneBarimaKwakuDuah popularly called Otumfuor Osei Tutu II currently resides within the new palace.

Major activities

The courtyard of the main palace is mostly used to hosts many important Asante traditional programs. The major activities of the Ashanti or the Kumasi town include the Adae festival which happens on the sixth of every Sunday, at this festival the Asante Hene gets homage which is from his subject and other chiefs of in the  Asanti land.

Manhyia Palace Museum

The British built the palace when the war of the golden stool ended (that is sika means gold and stool means dwa) which was changed into the museum and officially opened on August 12, 1995, by the then king, OtumfuoOpoku Ware II. The opening of the museum was a part of activities that marked the jubilee of his accession to the Golden Stool.

This palace was used because of the office of the Kings. Manhyia palace formally used as the administrative office of the Kumasi city from 1925 to 1974, before the Otumfuo Opoku Ware II relocated to his new home the Manhyia. many artworks are shown within the museum.

They include:

1. furniture employed by the Kings
2. the bronze head of Nana Sir OseiAgyemanPrempeh II
3. and a map of the Asanteman.
4. There is also Asanteman’s first television at the museum
5. also as life-sized wax effigies of a number of the kings and queens of Asanteman.

Architecture

The architecture of the palace is like the dominion of Asante building plans of the first 1900s. The palace may be a two-storey building. The palace environs can be view even when you stand at the verandas or the floors. In 1995, an outbuilding was added to the first palace to function in a present shop. The palace features a large courtyard and it showcases statues of past great kings and queens of the Ashanti.

Questions from Readers

Is Kumasi bigger than Accra?

Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana. it’s also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District. Kumasi, on the opposite hand, maybe a city within the Ashanti Region of Southern Ghana. it’s among the most important metropolitan areas of Ghana.

How far is Kumasi from Accra?

202 kilometres is the distance from Kumasi to Accra The road distance is 250.3 km.

What is Kumasi known for?

Kumasi is alternatively referred to as “The Garden City” due to its many beautiful species of flowers and plants. it’s also called Oseikrom (Osei Tutu’s town). The capital of Ghana, Accra is the first largest city in Ghana while Kumasi is the second-largest city in Ghana. … Financial and commercial sectors, pottery, clothing and textiles are the most economic services or activities in Kumasi

Is Kumasi Ghana safe?

Crime rates in Kumasi, Ghana

Level of crime 35.71 Low

Crime increasing within the past 3 years 37.50 Low

Worries home broken and things stole 50.00 Moderate

Worries being mugged or robbed 43.75 Moderate

Worries car stolen 34.38 Low

What language is spoken in Kumasi Ghana?

Twi, A consular officer at the High Commission of Ghana in Ottawa, states that the predominant language in Kumasi is indeed Twi (17 Feb.

How much is STC from Accra to Kumasi?

STC Ghana: fares (2020)

The fares will be between 40ghc – 50ghc. Usually, the ticket will be charged for low as 28 and high as 140 ghc for internal or the local trips. International trips will often start from about 200 GHC.Mar 30, 2020

How long is a bus from Accra to Kumasi?

approx 4-5 hours Travel by bus between Kumasi and Accra takes approx 4-5 hours

How many towns are in Kumasi?

The city covers 254 square kilometres and encompasses 10 sub-metropolitan areas like:

1. Manhyia
2. Tafo
3. Suame
4. Asokwa
5. Oforikrom
6. Asawase
7. Bantama
8. Kwadaso
9. Nhyiaeso and Subin
10. Asawasi
11. Asokwa
12. Bantama
13. Kwadaso
14. Manhyia
15. Nhyiaeso
16. Oforikrom
17. Suame
18. Subin and