Rattray Park is a recreational and a modern amusement park located in

Kumasi Kumasi is a city and the capital of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is the second largest city in the country, with a population of 443,981 as of the 2021 census. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region ...

in the capital city of the

Ashanti Region The Ashanti Region is located in the southern part of Ghana and is the third largest of Regions of Ghana, 16 administrative regions, occupying a total land surface of and making up 10.2 percent of the total land area of Ghana. It is the List of ...

of Ghana.

History

The park was constructed by the

Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (abbreviated as the KMA) is one of the 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana. It forms part of the forty-three districts in Ashanti Region, Ghana with Kumasi being its administrative ca ...

in its bid to restore Kumasi as the Garden City of West Africa. It was inaugurated by the President of Ghana

John Dramani Mahama John Dramani Mahama (; born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician who has been the 14th president of Ghana since January 2025. A member of the National Democratic Congress (Ghana), National Democratic Congress (NDC), he served as the 12th p ...

and the

Asantehene The is the title for the monarch of the historical Ashanti Empire as well as the ceremonial ruler of the Ashanti people today. The Ashanti royal house traces its line to the Oyoko (an '' Abusua'', or "clan") Abohyen Dynasty of Nana Twum and ...

Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II Osei Tutu II (born Nana Barima Kwaku Duah; 6 May 1950) is the 16th List of rulers of Asante, Asantehene, enstooled on 26 April 1999. By name, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is in direct succession to the 17th-century founder of the Ashanti Empire, Osei Ko ...

along with the Kumasi Mayor Kojo Bonsu on June 20, 2015.

Etymology

The park was christened Rattray to honour Captain

Robert Sutherland Rattray Robert Sutherland Rattray, , known as Captain R. S. Rattray (1881 in India – 1938), was a barrister and held a diploma in anthropology from Oxford. He was an early Africanist and student of the Ashanti. He was one of the early writers on Owa ...

, a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

who was the Assistant Colonial Secretary in the Gold Coast and clerk to the Legislative Assembly of

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) 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, , had a population of ...

in 1919.

Facilities

The park's facilities include an artificial lake, a golf cart, WiFi connection, children's playground, a gym and a 6 square meter dancing fountain which is the first of its kind in the country. There are also other amenities such as restaurants and cafeterias.

References

{{coord missing, Ghana Parks in Ghana Tourist attractions in Ghana Tourism in Ghana Ashanti Region Kumasi 2015 establishments in Ghana