Ga-Adangbe region or Accra: How black ants made Accra famous to date

Do you know the Ga-Adangbe region or Accra: How black ants made Accra famous to date? Keep reading.

The indigenous people of Accra (Ga-Adangbe people) have called on the government to rename greater Accra as the Ga-Adangbe region.

However, Accra has remained the name of Ghana’s capital city since 1877. The British recognized it as the capital of the then Gold Coast. But the history behind the name Accra has it ants at the heart of the story.

How black ants made Accra famous to date

Accra is not an English word and as to why it is spelled ACCRA and not Akra is for another day.

The name of Ghana’s capital city is derived from an Akan word Nkran. To date, Akans in Ghana refer to Accra as Nkran.

Nkran happened to be an Akan word that means “ants” or black ants.

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History shows that Accra in its early days had many anthills scattered everywhere which compelled the Akans to name it Nkran.

Since medieval times, events, specific landmarks, stories about places played critical roles in naming places.

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Once the name gets accepted, it also ends up being applied to both the inhabitants and the town.

As time went by, Nkran become pronounced as Accra. After independence, Accra was declared a city on 29 June 1961 by Ghana’s first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.