Sunyani () is a city and the capital of the

Sunyani Municipal District Sunyani Municipal District is one of the twelve districts in Bono Region, Ghana. Originally created as an ordinary district assembly on 10 March 1989 when it was known as Sunyani District, until the northwest part of the district was split off to ...

and the

Bono Region The Bono region is one of the 16 administrative regions of Ghana. It is as a result of the remainder of Brong-Ahafo region when Bono East region and Ahafo Region, Ahafo region were created. Sunyani, also known as the green city of Ghana, is the r ...

of Ghana. The city is located about northwest of

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 ...

and away from

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 ...

. It is the sixth

largest city The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metrop ...

in the country as of the 2010 census, with a population of 75,366 people. Ethnic groups such as the

Akan Akan may refer to: People and languages *Akan people, an ethnic group in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire *Akan languages, a language group within the wider Central Tano languages *Kwa languages, a language group which includes Akan *Central Tano language ...

, Northerner, Ewe, and

Ga-Adangbe The Ga-Dangbe, Ga-Dangme, Ga-Adangme or Ga-Adangbe are an ethnic group in Ghana, Togo and Benin. The Ga or Gan and Dangbe or Dangme people are grouped as part of the Ga–Dangme languages, Ga–Dangme Ethnolinguistics, ethnolinguistic group. The ...

resided in the city along with others. As of 2024, the current mayor of the municipality is Hon. Ansu Kumi. Sunyani's economy is largely agrarian, with the city being known for its ever-growing

cocoa bean The cocoa bean, also known as cocoa () or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', the cacao tree, from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances) and cocoa butter (the fat) can be extracted. Cacao tree ...

production. The city is home to the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Sunyani The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sunyani () is a diocese located in the city of Sunyani in the ecclesiastical province of Kumasi in Ghana. The cathedral parish for the diocese is the Christ the King Cathedral. History The establishment of the Dioc ...

which is under the bishop of

Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi (born 11 August 1957 in Wamanafo, Ghana) is a Ghanaian Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Sunyani since 2003. He is the current president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference. He is also the episcopal chairman ...

. Sunyani is also home to many educational institutions, such as the

Sunyani Technical University The Sunyani Technical University (STU) (formally known as Sunyani Polytechnic) is a public tertiary institution in the Bono Region of Ghana. It is located northeast of Asufufu. STU was established as a Technical Institute in 1967, as a non-tertia ...

and the

University of Energy and Natural Resources The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR; ) is a public-funded university in Ghana, that was established by an Act of the Parliament of Ghana, Act 830, 2011 on December 31, 2011. The university is a public funded national institution ...

Etymology

''Sunyani'' is a corrupted form of the

word ''Sonnwae''. ''Sunyani'' comes from the Akan word ''Osono'', which means "elephant".

History

Historically, Sunyani was a popular camping ground for

elephant hunter Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''). ...

s during the late 19th century. In 1924, the British set up a district headquarters in the city and with the construction of a road between it and Kumasi, Sunyani became an economic hub.

Geography

Sunyani is located at (7.333333, -2.333333), approximately southwest of

and away from

.Straight line distances from: Daft Logic; The city have an average elevation of .

Municipality area

The city is located in the

which covered a land area of . The municipality bordered the

Sunyani West District Sunyani West District is one of the twelve districts in Bono Region, Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borde ...

from the north, the

Dormaa East District Dormaa East District is one of the twelve districts in Bono Region, Ghana. Originally it was formerly part of the then-larger Dormaa District on 10 March 1989; until the eastern part of the district was split off to create Dormaa East District o ...

towards the west, the

Asutifi North District Asutifi North District is one of the six districts in Ahafo Region, Ghana. The District was formerly part of the then-larger Asutifi District since 1988, until the southern part of the district was split off to create Asutifi South District on 2 ...

from the south and the

Tano North District Tano North Municipal District is one of the six districts in Ahafo Region, Ghana. It was formerly part of the then-larger Tano District, Ghana, Tano District since 1988, until the western part of the district was split off to create Tano North Dis ...

towards the southeast.

Environmental Issues

In cities all across Ghana, including Sunyani, increases in the risks of

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civi ...

hazards have placed a strain on existing drainage systems present in the settlements. According to findings from a 2024 study, it suggest that increased precipitation is the main culprit because urban areas situated on flat plains, such as Sunyani, with poor drainage systems are more prone to flooding. They also found that the rapid

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...

as a result of the increase in population is another cause in increase flood risks. Data on flood-prone areas in Sunyani are lackluster at best.

Climate

The city has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Aw''), experiencing both rainy and dry seasons retrospectively. Precipitation, on a monthly basis, is about . The average monthly mean temperatures ranges around while the average monthly minimum temperatures is around . The average monthly relative humidity is about 58.10%. Water bodies that flow through Sunyani are the Tano, Amoma, Kankam, Benu, Yaya and Bisi rivers. Sunyani is located within a moist forested zone, home to many different kinds of tree species. The city is also home to two major forest reserves: the Yaya forest reserve and the Amoma forest reserve.

Government

The municipality has a mayor–council form of government, the city of Sunyani itself doesn't have one on its own. The mayor (executive chief) is appointed

president of Ghana The president of the Republic of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana, as well as commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The current president of Ghana is John Mahama, who won the 2024 presidential elect ...

and approved by the city council, the Sunyani Municipal Assembly. As of 2024, the current mayor of the municipality is Hon. Ansu Kumi.

Cityscape

Sunyani is a popular resettlement location for people all across the country due to its strategic central location, approximately to services such as educational institutions and health facilities, and being near the

Ahafo mine The Ahafo mine is one of the largest gold mines in the Republic of Ghana and in the world. The mine is located in the center of the country in Brong-Ahafo Region. The mine has estimated reserves of 17 million ounces of gold. The company has been a ...

. More than half of the housing stock in the city is made up of compound houses.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, Sunyani has a population of 75,366 people, making it the sixth largest city in Ghana. The majority of the city's residents is religious, accounted for about 96% of the population. Christianity is the most practiced religion followed by Islam and

traditional African religions The beliefs and practices of Demographics of Africa, African people are highly diverse, and include various ethnic religions.Encyclopedia of African Religion (Sage, 2009) Molefi Kete Asante Generally, these traditions are oral tradition, oral rath ...

. Numerous ethnic groups resided in Sunyani, including the

, Northerner, Ewe, and

. According to a 2018 report, drug use in the city increased by 12%. A recent report from 2021 found that most residents who suffer from

substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...

were in search of healthcare.

Culture

The city is home to an art centre, the Bono Regional Centre for National Culture, managed by the

National Commission on Culture The National Commission on Culture is a Government of Ghana agency responsible for cultural matters. It is under the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts(MoTCCA) Ghana is the governme ...

. The museum helps with organizing culture-related programs for schools within the municipality. Although, many have argued that these programs encouraged "retrogression" and for people to retain onto their own ways, even if there are better options available. As of 2022, the museum is close and is currently undergoing renovations. The city is also home to the

, established on 30 March 1973.

Economy

The city's economy is mostly agrarian with about 48% of the population engaged in activities relating to

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. About 24% of the population is working in the

service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...

sector, followed by

commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

and

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

Street hawking

Street hawking A hawker is a vendor of merchandise that can be easily transported; the term is roughly synonymous with costermonger or peddler. In most places where the term is used, a hawker sells inexpensive goods, handicrafts, or food items. Whether stationa ...

in Sunyani, according to findings from a 2024 report, is most commonly done by women who lacks education and knowledge in some kind of trade. They are usually found in unauthorized public areas for reasons such as being closer to potential consumers and availability of space.

Agriculture

Agriculture in Sunyani is concentrated in one-thirds of the city's total land area. Farmers usually rely on rainwater without or barely any kind of

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

practice. Although, farms along the banks of the

Tano River The Tano or Tanoé River ( French: ''Rivière Tano'') is a river in Ghana. It flows for 400 kilometres from a town called Traa, a suburb of Techiman, the capital town of Bono East Region of the Republic of Ghana to Ehy Lagoon, Tendo Lagoon and fin ...

does intergrade irrigation practices into their cultivation. Crops cultivated include

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of '' Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.& ...

garden egg Eggplant ( US, CA, AU, PH), aubergine ( UK, IE, NZ), brinjal ( IN, SG, MY, ZA, SLE), or baigan ( IN, GY) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit, typica ...

s, carrots, pepper, tomatoes, and

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 and ...

. According to findings from a 2023 study, cocoa bean production in city is relatively low due to poor land management as a result of sharp increases in the city's population and

forest degradation Forest degradation is a process in which the biological wealth of a forest area is permanently diminished by some factor or by a combination of factors. "This does not involve a reduction of the forest area, but rather a quality decrease in its c ...

. The Cocoa House, located in Sunyani and built by the

Ghana Cocoa Board The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) is a Ghanaian government-controlled monopsony institution that fixes the buying price for cocoa in Ghana. Farmers are protected from the volatile prices on the world market through the price-fixing. Besides, the hig ...

, pays respect to the cocoa industry of the country as a whole.

Industry

Sunyani is home to African Global Pharma Limited (AGP), the only pharmaceutical manufacturing company in the city. The company is an affiliated company of AGP Canada Inc. with corporate office in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada and produces generic drugs.

Infrastructure

Sanitation

According to a 2015 report using a small sample size, the people of Sunyani used a mix of public and private toilets, some of which are located relatively far from the city centre. There is one disposal site in the city consisting of 6 treatment ponds, all of which are no longer sufficient. In reality, data on how

sludge Sludge (possibly , or some dialect related to slush) is a semi-solid slurry that can be produced from a range of industrial processes, from water treatment, wastewater treatment or on-site sanitation systems. It can be produced as a settled sus ...

is managed in the city is minimal.

Healthcare

Healthcare in Sunyani is regulated by the Sunyani Municipal Health Directorate of the

Ghana Health Service The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is a Ghanaian government body established in 1996 as part of the Health Sector Reform of Ghana. The Health Service is under the Ministry of Health (Ghana), Ministry of Health. The health service primarily administers ...

. As of 2010, the city have a total of 6 hospitals, 12 clinics, 7 CHPS compounds, and 3

maternity home A maternity home, or maternity housing program, is a form of supportive housing provided to pregnant women. Maternity housing programs support a woman in need of a stable home environment to reach her goals in a variety of areas including educatio ...

s. The city is home to the Sunyani Municipal Hospital, opened in 1927 and served as the regional hospital until the opening of the Bono Regional Hospital in 2003, now known as the Sunyani Teaching Hospital. Vaccine coverage in the city is considered one of the best in the country. These vaccines, specifically childhood ones, are delivered at health facilities and outreach points. The outreach points are key to deliver vaccines directly to

beneficiaries A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example, the beneficiary of a life insurance policy is the person who receives the payment of the amount of ...

. A 2021 study, prioritizing in the uptake of the administration of

malaria vaccine Malaria vaccines are vaccines that prevent malaria, a mosquito-borne infectious disease which affected an estimated 249 million people globally in 85 malaria-endemic countries and areas and caused 608,000 deaths in 2022. The first approved vac ...

s in the municipality, found that there is around a 90% uptake in the administrating doses

RTS,S RTS,S/AS01 (trade name Mosquirix) is a recombinant protein-based malaria vaccine. It is one of two malaria vaccines approved (the other is R21/Matrix-M). , the vaccine has been given to 1million children living in areas with moderate-to-high ...

1 and 2, meeting

WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

's target of 90% while the uptake of RTS,S 3 was about 80%.

Education

Education in the city is managed by the education department of the Sunyani municipal assembly, directed by Mr Mark Godfred Domah. The city, along with the municipality is home to 111 basic schools, 50 junior high schools, five senior high/vocational schools and two tertiary institutions. Sunyani is home to numerous high schools, some of which are listed below:The following is a list of high schools and tertiary institutions in Ghana: * St. James Seminary Senior High School * Sunyani Senior High School * S.D.A Senior High School * Sunyani Methodist Technical Institute * Notre Dame Girls Senior High School * Chiraa Senior High School * Odomaseman Senior High School The city's higher educational institutions include the

, a tertiary institution offering degrees in

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, science, and

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

. It was established in 1967 as a

technical institute An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...

, upgraded to a polytechnic in 1997 and was converted to the Sunyani Technical University in 2016. Another institution of higher education is the

, a publicly-funded university established in 2011 prioritizing careers in management of

energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

and

natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. ...

s in the country.

Sports

Sunyani is home to one major football venue, Coronation Park, which have a maximum capacity of 5,000 people. During preparations of the

2008 Africa Cup of Nations The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated with the Confede ...

, the stadium was renovated although was not used in the competition. The venue is home to a couple of football clubs, such as BA Stars F.C., Young Apostles F.C., and Prisons Ladies F.C. along with others.

Transport

The city is served by the Sunyani Airport, a

domestic airport A domestic airport is an airport that handles only flights within the same country. Domestic airports do not have customs and immigration facilities and so cannot handle flights to or from a foreign airport. These airports often have short r ...

opened on 13 July 1974 and operated by

Ghana Airports Company Limited Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) is a state-owned company with responsibility for developing, maintaining, planning, and managing airports in Ghana. It was registered in 2006 and presently manages airports such as Kotoka International Airpo ...

. The airport was built in 1942 and was used by the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

during World War II. After the airstrip was abandoned, in 1969, the Government upgraded it into an airport and was eventually opened. In late September 2022,

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...

opened up operations in Sunyani along with Tamale. This makes it one out of six cities in Ghana and 18 cities across West Africa where Uber is available. Local vehicles used for transportation are usually old and insufficient according to findings found by a 2017 study. Walking is the main mode of transportation for getting around the city. Transport is, on average, in the private sector, dominated by

taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

s or

tro tro A share taxi, shared taxi, taxibus, or jitney or dollar van in the US, or marshrutka in former Soviet countries, is a mode of transport which falls between a taxicab and a bus. Share taxis are a form of paratransit. They are vehicles for hire an ...

s. Road infrastructure, managed by the municipal assembly, is considered to be deficient.

International Relations

Awards

Sunyani was voted the cleanest city in Ghana of 2007 by the Ghana Tourism Authority. As part of this award,

Digital Production Partnership The Digital Production Partnership (DPP) is an initiative formed jointly by the UK's Public service broadcasting#United Kingdom, public service broadcasters to help producers and broadcasters maximise the potential benefits of digital television ...

(DPP), an advertising agency, offered a

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

worth about to help with advertisements of the municipality.

Sister cities – twin towns

Sunyani, in partnership with nearby

Techiman Techiman (Akan language, Akan: ''Takyiman'') is a city and the capital of the Techiman Municipal District, Techiman Metropolitan District and the Bono East Region of Ghana. The city is located about from Sunyani and about away from Kumasi. I ...

, currently has a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

relationship with: *

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

(2011)

Notable people

* Geoffrey Acheampong, professional footballer * Felix Afena-Gyan, professional footballer * Prince Kwabena Adu, professional footballer * Lisa-Marie Kwayie, sprinter * George Kumi, politician and former diplomat * Edward Kpodo, professional footballer * Shaka Mawuli, professional footballer * Raphael Botsyo Nkegbe, athlete * Alexander Opoku, former professional footballer * Stephen Opuni, chief executive officer of the

Kwasi Owusu Kwasi Owusu (5 November 1945 – 30 March 2020) was a Ghanaian footballer who played as a forward for Bofoakwa Tano. He is the Ghana national team's third leading international goal scorer with 36 goals in 52 appearances. He died aged 74, on ...

, professional footballer

Explanatory notes

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Sunyani Regional capitals in Ghana Populated places in the Bono Region