Aburi is a town in the

Akuapim South Municipal District Nsawam-Adoagyire Municipal District is one of the thirty-three districts in Eastern Region, Ghana. Originally created as an ordinary district assembly in 1988 when it was known as the first Akuapim South District, which it was created from the f ...

of the Eastern Region of south

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...

famous for the Aburi Botanical Gardens and the

Odwira festival The Odwira festival is celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Fanteakwa District and Akuapem in the Eastern region of Ghana. The Odwira Festival is celebrated by the people of Akropong-Akuapim, Aburi, Larteh and Mamfi. This is celebrated annual ...

.Touring - Eastern Region
. touringghana.com. Aburi has a population of 18,701 people as of 2013.

Transport

Road

Aburi is north east of

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

, and the journey from Accra to Aburi is about 45 mins (will be less when the dual carriage road from Tetteh Quarshie Circle to Adenta Barrier is completed by 2014). Due to the altitude of Aburi, the climate is a lot cooler than neighbouring

. The road which climbs the hillside to Aburi is a toll road, with the current toll being 0.50 Ghc for a car, 1.00 Ghc for a 4x4. There is a higher charge for vans and lorries. From the road most of Greater Accra is visible below, although the one stopping space for pictures on this section of road has a "No Stopping" sign.

Education

Aburi has several

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/ kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in '' primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or ...

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final ph ...

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...

and

further education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...

institutions and Aburi is home to Aburi Presbyterian Technical Secondary School, which is linked to The Sixth Form College, Farnborough in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Aburi is also home to Aburi Girls' Senior High School started by the Presbyterian church. Aburi also hosts the Great Adonten senior High School. For post secondary education, you can find the Presbyterian women's college of Education, formally known as PWTC Training college.

History and economy

The name Aburi is the adulterated version of ABUDE by the European missionaries and traders. Because of Aburi's location in the mountains of Ghana and its proximity to the coast of Ghana, an agricultural research farm was set up near Aburi by British residents in 1891. The area of the garden originally consisted of 20 hectares, in 1901 there were 17.8 hectares and in 1902 came to more than 40 hectares of new acquisitions, which was discovered during the last expansion with considerable resistance. Ultimately, the expansion could take place only through the application of governmental authority over state expropriation. The purpose of the Botanical Garden was originally to test field-building opportunities and to develop, which contributes to greater financial independence of Ghana. The focus of the garden was primarily in culture experiments with indigenous crops such as

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter an ...

, rubber plants and

cola Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was imi ...

. In addition, there were also ornamental and fruit plants grown of various kinds and small field trials with cotton and spices,

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus '' Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla ('' V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the plants produce the fruit from whic ...

and pepper mainly on

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera '' Elettaria'' and '' Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They ar ...

and

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...

. An inventory, dated 21 July 1900, lists 350 different plant species grown in Aburi. In addition, there was in 1903 in the center of the garden, a sanatorium. In 1901 the expenditure was for the garden equivalent of 44,312 marks (then German marks). Especially for the cotton experiments, a cotton planter expert from the United States (Texas) named Edmund Fisher, was employed, and who was, however, unfavorable for cotton in the rain forest, which is located in Aburi, which had only a few small test plots. A larger cotton research station was built on Edmund Fisher's recommendation in the grasslands by the

Volta River The Volta River is the main river system in the West African country of Ghana. It flows south into Ghana from the Bobo-Dioulasso highlands of Burkina Faso. The main parts of the river are the Black Volta, the White Volta, and the Red Volta. ...

built, and grown where cotton is the native culture from time immemorial and the cotton were made into clothing. It is not only an experimental farm that was established, but also tries to cheer up the locals to expand their cotton production. The latter was accomplished mainly through the distribution of seeds to the chiefs in connection with a purchase guarantee for all cotton harvested in a central market in buying at (9 ' N, 0 ° 6 ' O) on the Volta, where the cotton could be accommodated easily by water. In the Volta River could then also be the removal of the cotton. The most distant of the cotton growing area in Eastern region, is the landscape area which is about 13–15 km from the Volta River. It has also been used for treatment of raw cotton and where the Ginstation was built. Today, on the grounds of the only botanical garden in Aburi, Ghana, is mainly home to many plants that were not originally native to Eastern region, but there is a collection of tropical plants that have been added.

Tourism

Aburi is host to one of the finest wood markets not only in Ghana but in Africa. Aburi has been rumoured that goods manufactured at the Aburi markets have found their way to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

to be sold on to tourists. Aburi Botanical Gardens is result of a well known Ghanaian tourist destination.

Hotels and lodges

Aburi is home to many resorts and lodges for visitors. Peduasi Valley Resort, Hillburi, The Landsdown Resort, The Cactus Creek Hotel

Health

* Kom Presbyterian Clinic

Gallery

Ghana Aburi Botanical gardens (3).jpg,

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

trees in Aburi Botanical Gardens Ghana Aburi Botanical gardens (7).jpg, Trees in Aburi Botanical Gardens Ghana Aburi Botanical gardens (8).jpg, A tree in Aburi Botanical Gardens Ghana Aburi Botanical gardens (9).jpg, Spine palm ('' Aiphanes horrida'', Synonym ''Aiphanes cyryotaefolia'') in Aburi Botanical Gardens Ghana Aburi Botanical gardens (10).jpg, Kigelia ( sausage tree) in Aburi Botanical Gardens Aburi hills.jpg, The

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...

s overlooking Aburi.outside of the town of Aburi

Peduase Lodge

Peduase is the location of a Presidential summer residence ('Peduase Lodge') built and first used by Ghana's first President,

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An ...

.It was used in the second republic of Ghana as the official residence of the then Ceremonial President,

Edward Akufo-Addo Edward Akufo-Addo (26 June 1906 – 17 July 1979) was a Ghanaian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the " Big Six" leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and one of the founding fathers of Ghana who engaged in the fight for ...

.Since then it has not been permanently resided in by any Ghanaian head-of-state. Peduase Lodge is still used as a Presidential accommodation for the state of Ghana guests. The Presidential Lodge is in Peduase, a town near Kitase on the road to Aburi.

Notable personalities

Aburi is the birthplace of, or home to, several notable people, including: * Joyce Bamford-Addo - first female Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana and first female Speaker of Parliament of the Fourth Republic * E. A. Boateng - First vice chancellor of the

University of Cape Coast The University of Cape Coast is a public collegiate university located in the historic town of Cape Coast. The campus has a rare seafront and sits on a hill overlooking the wide Atlantic Ocean. It operates on two campuses: the Southern Campus (O ...

* Josiah Ofori Boateng - Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana * Alexander Worthy Clerk - Jamaican Moravian missionary and educator to the Gold Coast * Nicholas Timothy Clerk - Gold Coast theologian, missionary and minister, first Synod Clerk, Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast * Carl Henry Clerk - Ghanaian educator, journalist and minister, fourth Synod Clerk, Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast * Jane E. Clerk - Gold Coast educator and public education administrator * Ohene Djan - Ghanaian Sports Administrator *

Samia Nkrumah Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah (born 23 June 1960) is a Ghanaian politician and chairperson of the Convention People's Party (CPP). In the 2008 parliamentary election, she won the Jomoro constituency seat at her first attempt. She is the daughte ...

- Ghanaian politician; daughter of

, Ghana's first leader

Footnotes

: "Ginstation" (derived from English engine ) was a then-common term for a station with a larger system for the automated processing of anything. In most cases, however, was the term for a plant processing of raw cotton meant.

References

External links

Ghana-pedia webpage - Aburi

Aburi Botanic Gardens
{{Authority control Populated places in the Eastern Region (Ghana)