Ghana is often celebrated as Africa’s most peaceful nation, thanks to its warm hospitality, political stability, and diverse ethnic communities, which are complemented by a wealth of growing business opportunities.
Yet, beyond its serene landscapes, welcoming spirit, and breathtaking coastlines, Ghana is home to historical sites and structures that bear witness to the profound stories and enduring legacies that have shaped the country.
For tourists eager to delve into Ghana’s rich past, these six unmissable historic locations offer major insights into the nation’s storied history.
Assin Manso Ancestral Slave River Park
Located in the Central Region of Ghana, the Ancestral Slave River Park was once a thriving slave market known for the purchasing and selling of slaves during the transatlantic slave trade. The park features an ancestral graveyard, the final resting place for the repatriated remains of enslaved individuals, symbolizing a homecoming after centuries of displacement. A memorial wall of return honours members of the African diaspora who have retraced their lineage, allowing them to inscribe their names and reflect on epitaphs dedicated to prominent figures who endured the brutality of slavery. Additionally, the park is home to a river known as “Donkor Nsuo,” where slaves took their last bath before being sent en route to their buyers in the coastal areas.
Nkyinkyim Museum
Situated in the steep mangroves of Nahulenya-Ada in the Greater Accra Region, Nkyinkyim Museum displays collections of beautiful concrete and terracotta sculptures, along with hand-drawn African artworks that vividly narrate African history and slave trade. The most noticeable sculptures are the heads of slaves bound by neck shackles and submerged in water, their faces frozen with expressions of agony and pain, imitating the enslaved Africans who perished in the oceans. The museum, established in 2009 by Ghanaian artist, Kwame Akoto-Bamfo, has been specifically designed to guide visitors toward healing from the legacies of African enslavement and colonialism.
Fort St. Jargo
Previously named Fort Coenraadsburg during the colonial era, Fort St. Jago was originally built by the Portuguese as a chapel between 1555 and 1558. However, it was later burned down by the Dutch during the colonial wars, specifically during the Battle of Elmina. Located adjacent to Elmina Castle on the south coast of Ghana in the Central Region, the chapel was later converted into a watchtower and military headquarters by the Dutch. It served to protect the castle from territorial attacks and also functioned as a prison for European convicts. Today, the fort is open to visitors and tourists, featuring an inn, restaurant, and rest house for those exploring its rich history.
W.E.B Dubois Center
First opened to the general public in 1985 in Cantonments, Accra, the W.E.B. Du Bois Center was established and dedicated to American sociologist and Pan-Africanist William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, who naturalised as a Ghanaian in 1960. The cultural complex houses an installation of a library, filled with publications and research works of the American pan-Africanist. The center also has a shrine and grave of Du Bois and the ashes of his wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois. The Du Bois Centre museum also contains memorabilia of African activists and the Open Air Theatre where intellectual seminars, lectures and workshops are held along with cultural events.
Pikworo Slave Camp
Originally built as a slave transit unit, the Pikworo Slave Camp in Paga Nania, Upper East Region of Ghana, was where enslaved Ghanaians were auctioned off to English, French, and Dutch slave traders. Founded in 1704, the camp remained active until 1846. The vast dry land of the camp, surrounded by boulders and rocks, features remnants and archaeological evidence of life during the slave trade. Notable features include a tree where slaves were shackled during auctions, a punishment rock for deviants, a slave cemetery, traders’ watch tower and hand-carved scoops in rocks (carved by runaway slaves who were recaptured) which served as makeshift bowls for their meals.
Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park
The monumental site dedicated to honouring the memory and magnificence of Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park & Mausoleum was established in 199. It is located in Accra, at the former British Polo Grounds where Nkrumah declared Ghana’s independence from colonial rule in 1957. The five-acre infrastructure houses Nkrumah’s mortal remains, his statue and a museum that showcases artifacts from different periods of his life. The museum is covered entirely in Italian marble, features a black star at the top to signify unity. Inside the museum, the marble-floored space includes a small mastaba-style marble grave marker encircled by river rocks, lit by a skylight above, and water faucets surrounding the mausoleum. The site also includes a presidential library, a reception facility, an amphitheater, a restaurant, Freedom Hall, a digitalized payment and access system, an audio-visual tunnel, and a gift shop.