Sunyani
Encyclopedia
Sunyani is a city in the West African republic of Ghana
, and is the capital of the both the Sunyani District
and Brong-Ahafo Region.
According to the 2005 population estimates 80,245 people reside in the city of Sunyani, with a growth rate, in the city, of 3.4% per annum.http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/2005_world_city_populations/Ghana.html
Uplands, the city of Sunyani arose as an outpost camp for elephant
hunters during the 19th century. The name Sunyani derives from the Akan
word for elephant 'Osono.' In 1924, The British colonial government designated Sunyani as a district headquarters. Following the construction of a road connecting Sunyani and the city of Kumasi
, Sunyani became an important hub for the distribution of cocoa, kola nuts, and staple foods such as maize
and yam
s.
Today Sunyani is home to both the regional government and high court, the region's post-secondary institutions are also based in the city; including two polytechnic schools, the College of Renewable National Resources and the Catholic
University. Several of the country's best primary and secondary and technical schools can be found within Sunyani and its suburbs, including: St. Mary's; Holy Spirit; Wesley's; Divine; Ridge Primary;Twene Amanfo Secondary Technical School (TASTECH);and Don Bosco Voc. Technical Institute. Attracting students from throughout the region and beyond, is the highly ranked Sunyani Senior High School (Susec) and St. James seminary which has been rated among, the best five Senior High Schools in Ghana.
Although considerably smaller than nearby Kumasi, Sunyani is growing rapidly and has effectually engulfed the suburb towns of Fiapre
and Abesim
, amongst others. Sunyani is a clean and well maintained city with a thriving economy. The economy is predominantly agrarian with approximately 48% of the population engaged in agriculture
production. About 24 percent of the population is employed in the service sector, followed by commerce and industry which employ 15% and 13% of the populace, respectively.
The city’s growth is boosted by the city’s high-quality water supply. Water sources include pipe borne water, bore holes, hand-dug wells, rain water and water from streams, rivers and springs. However, in severe harmattan (dry) conditions, water can become more difficult to access. Sunyani is provided with electricity
by the Volta River Authority.
The City of Sunyani is outfitted with modern communication facilities which include fixed telephone
and fax
lines, pay phones, mobile phones, internet
and e-mail
services. Additionally; postal services are available in the form of post office, as well as expedited mail services provided by EMS (Express mail
service), DHL
and FedEx
.
The city has a number of financial institutions including a branch of the Bank of Ghana
, Ghana Commercial Bank, Barclays Bank, SG-SSB Bank, Agricultural Development Bank,EcoBank and the National Investment Bank. There are also six rura
l banks, a number of credit union
s and insurance institutions complementing the financial service provision of the city.
The city also has three hospital
s, one of which, Sunyani General Hospital, is a state-of-the-art development, which opened in 2003. Eight clinics and three maternity
homes also operate in Sunyani.
The Sunyani Prison is home to approximately 719 inmates. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=94393
opened on 13 July 1974. However due to runway length limitations the airport is unsuitable for use by medium range aircraft
, and generally only connects passengers to the Kumasi
, Accra
and Takoradi airports. Sunyani is a seven hour drive from Accra linked by a first-rate highway
. Despite the lack of dedicated tourism facilities, tourists are beginning to venture to Sunyani in greater numbers, attracted by the areas of natural beauty surrounding the city.
Such visitors can take advantage of the city’s three 3-star hotels,over fifteen modern hotels and rated hostel
s. A number of guest houses and restaurants can also be found in the City.
Among the city’s attractions is the Cocoa House, a high rise that dominates the Sunyani skyline
. The building houses the headquarters of several regional companies, four radio stations and numerous boutiques. Other buildings of interest in Sunyani include Christ The King Catholic Cathedral, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Queen of Peace Building, Knight of St. John House etc . In addition, the Kintampo
waterfalls and the Boabeng monkey sanctuary in Fiema
, are a short distance outside the city.
, currently has a sister city relationship with: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
, United States
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, and is the capital of the both the Sunyani District
Sunyani District
The Sunyani District is a district of Ghana in the Brong Ahafo Region.-Sources:*...
and Brong-Ahafo Region.
According to the 2005 population estimates 80,245 people reside in the city of Sunyani, with a growth rate, in the city, of 3.4% per annum.http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/2005_world_city_populations/Ghana.html
History of Sunyani
Surrounded by the forested Southern AshantiAshanti Region
The Ashanti Region is the third largest of 10 administrative regions in Ghana, occupying a total land surface of 24389 square kilometers or 10.2 per cent of the total land area of Ghana. In terms of population, however, it is the most populated region with a population of 3,612,950 in 2000,...
Uplands, the city of Sunyani arose as an outpost camp for elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
hunters during the 19th century. The name Sunyani derives from the Akan
Akan people
The Akan people are an ethnic group found predominately in Ghana and The Ivory Coast. Akans are the majority in both of these countries and overall have a population of over 20 million people.The Akan speak Kwa languages-Origin and ethnogenesis:...
word for elephant 'Osono.' In 1924, The British colonial government designated Sunyani as a district headquarters. Following the construction of a road connecting Sunyani and the city of Kumasi
Kumasi
Kumasi is a city in southern central Ghana's Ashanti region. It is located near Lake Bosomtwe, in the Rain Forest Region about northwest of Accra. Kumasi is approximately north of the Equator and north of the Gulf of Guinea...
, Sunyani became an important hub for the distribution of cocoa, kola nuts, and staple foods such as maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and yam
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
s.
Education and Commerce in Sunyani
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
University. Several of the country's best primary and secondary and technical schools can be found within Sunyani and its suburbs, including: St. Mary's; Holy Spirit; Wesley's; Divine; Ridge Primary;Twene Amanfo Secondary Technical School (TASTECH);and Don Bosco Voc. Technical Institute. Attracting students from throughout the region and beyond, is the highly ranked Sunyani Senior High School (Susec) and St. James seminary which has been rated among, the best five Senior High Schools in Ghana.
Although considerably smaller than nearby Kumasi, Sunyani is growing rapidly and has effectually engulfed the suburb towns of Fiapre
Fiapre
Fiapre is a town that is very close to the capital city of the Brong Ahafo Region, Sunyani. It is a well planned town. It has one of the best female secondary schools in the region known as, Notre Damme Senior High School.It has two private tertiary institutions. They are Catholic University...
and Abesim
Abesim
Abesim is a town in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. The town is known for the St. James Seminary and Secondary School. The school is a second cycle institution....
, amongst others. Sunyani is a clean and well maintained city with a thriving economy. The economy is predominantly agrarian with approximately 48% of the population engaged in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
production. About 24 percent of the population is employed in the service sector, followed by commerce and industry which employ 15% and 13% of the populace, respectively.
The city’s growth is boosted by the city’s high-quality water supply. Water sources include pipe borne water, bore holes, hand-dug wells, rain water and water from streams, rivers and springs. However, in severe harmattan (dry) conditions, water can become more difficult to access. Sunyani is provided with electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
by the Volta River Authority.
The City of Sunyani is outfitted with modern communication facilities which include fixed telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
and fax
Fax
Fax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
lines, pay phones, mobile phones, internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
services. Additionally; postal services are available in the form of post office, as well as expedited mail services provided by EMS (Express mail
Express mail
In most postal systems express mail refers to an accelerated delivery service for which the customer pays a surcharge and receives faster delivery. Express mail is a service for domestic mail and is governed by a country's own postal administration...
service), DHL
DHL
DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
and FedEx
FedEx
FedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
.
The city has a number of financial institutions including a branch of the Bank of Ghana
Bank of Ghana
The Bank of Ghana is the central bank of Ghana. It is located in Accra and was formed in 1957. Its name is abbreviated to BOG.-Brief Historical Background:...
, Ghana Commercial Bank, Barclays Bank, SG-SSB Bank, Agricultural Development Bank,EcoBank and the National Investment Bank. There are also six rura
Rura
Rura is a adarsh town and a nagar panchayat in Ramabai nagar in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The town is situated on the banks of Ram Ganga canal. It is a major town in the Kanpur Dehat and the chairman of rura Ghanshyam Omar district and is connected by fast route of Howrah-Delhi railway...
l banks, a number of credit union
Credit union
A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at competitive rates, and providing other financial services to its members...
s and insurance institutions complementing the financial service provision of the city.
The city also has three hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s, one of which, Sunyani General Hospital, is a state-of-the-art development, which opened in 2003. Eight clinics and three maternity
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
homes also operate in Sunyani.
The Sunyani Prison is home to approximately 719 inmates. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=94393
Tourism
The Sunyani airportAirport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
opened on 13 July 1974. However due to runway length limitations the airport is unsuitable for use by medium range aircraft
Range (aircraft)
The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft, or cross-country speed and environmental conditions in unpowered aircraft....
, and generally only connects passengers to the Kumasi
Kumasi
Kumasi is a city in southern central Ghana's Ashanti region. It is located near Lake Bosomtwe, in the Rain Forest Region about northwest of Accra. Kumasi is approximately north of the Equator and north of the Gulf of Guinea...
, Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
and Takoradi airports. Sunyani is a seven hour drive from Accra linked by a first-rate highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
. Despite the lack of dedicated tourism facilities, tourists are beginning to venture to Sunyani in greater numbers, attracted by the areas of natural beauty surrounding the city.
Such visitors can take advantage of the city’s three 3-star hotels,over fifteen modern hotels and rated hostel
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...
s. A number of guest houses and restaurants can also be found in the City.
Among the city’s attractions is the Cocoa House, a high rise that dominates the Sunyani skyline
Skyline
A skyline is the overall or partial view of a city's tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers in front of the sky in the background. It can also be described as the artificial horizon that a city's overall structure creates. Skylines serve as a kind of fingerprint of a city, as...
. The building houses the headquarters of several regional companies, four radio stations and numerous boutiques. Other buildings of interest in Sunyani include Christ The King Catholic Cathedral, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Queen of Peace Building, Knight of St. John House etc . In addition, the Kintampo
Kintampo
The Kintampo archeological site in Ghana dates back to 2500-1400 BCE and is one of the earliest known sites for the cultivation of the cowpea. Evidence of polished stone axes, stone beads, buildings of stone, domestic pots, ceramic sculptures of humans and animals indicate that Kintampo was...
waterfalls and the Boabeng monkey sanctuary in Fiema
Fiema
Fiema is a top most tourist attraction site in the Brong Ahafo Region,Ghana. It is popularly known as the Boabeng-Fiema monkey sanctuary. It is a home for about 700 monkeys.This is a community where, monkeys and human beings live together .The inhabitants in the town always, leave food outside...
, are a short distance outside the city.
Trivia
Sunyani was voted the cleanest city in Ghana for the year 2007 by the Ghana Tourist Board. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=146557&comment=3868269#comSister city
Sunyani, in partnership with nearby TechimanTechiman
Techiman is the leading market town in Ghana and is, together with Sunyani, one of the two chief cities of the Brong-Ahafo Region. This city of nearly 80,000 is located at a historical crossroads of trade routes and the Tano River, and serves as capital of the Techiman Municipal...
, currently has a sister city relationship with: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
, United States